The Vampire's threat
by Angel981
Summary: Setsuna encounters a younge man one night. He's romantic, charming, and out to get Konoka. When he threatens to Setsuna that he'll make her suffer, then whose left to save Konoka but Setsuna? Will Setsuna be able to stop him before it's too late? Aha, first couple of chapters are written poorly, but it gathers strength later on. Please R&R Angel981
1. Chapter 1

Setsuna sighed sadly as she walked the stone path on the school ground. Her footsteps echoed through the night air repeatedly, step after step after step. A cold wind blew right through the cotton jacket she wore, but she ignored it. Setsuna let her thoughts wander to the conversation she had a bit earlier . . .

_"Oh, I'll be just fine! Honestly, Setsuna . . ." Konoka sighed. "But, Ms. Konoka, you know I'm not allowed off campus without a teacher's excuse! I won't be able to protect you . . ." Setsuna trailed off. "Oh, it's just one night. Stop worrying so much. I'm just going to see an old friend." Konoka replied. Setsuna dropped to one knee and stared at the ground. "As you wish, Ms. Konoka."_

_ Konoka sighed. Suddenly, Setsuna was pulled to her feet and into a hug. "Honestly, stop worrying. Take a walk tonight. Try to clear your head." Konoka whispered. Setsuna knew instantly her face was red with embarrassment. "Y- yes Ms. Konoka! O- of c- course . . ." She stuttered. "Setsuna . . ." Konoka trailed off._

_ "Yes?" She replied. "Why is your face so red?" Konoka asked. Setsuna scrambled backwards. "N- no reason!"_

_ Konoka stared at her in confusion for a moment. She shook her head and said, "Your so weird." _

Setsuna shivered as another cold wind blew through her jacket again. She really needed to get something warmer for these winter months. She continued walking, not paying attention to the road or her other surroundings, and the only sound to be heard was her footsteps. Not that she cared very much. But, She did feel a bit lonely.

"Oh, Ms. Konoka, why must you go away like this?" She murmured to herself. "Now I have no one to protect."

Setsuna felt a sudden tug at her right foot, causing her to trip and land face first onto the concrete. "Ow. . ." She groaned and rolled onto her back. She pushed herself into a sitting position, rubbing her head. She looked at the ground around her for what had caused trip. She spotted her foot resting on a tree root that was growing over the sidewalk. She laughed and went to push herself back up, but a sharp pain in her ankle caused her to fall back to the ground.

Setsuna touched her ankle softly, wincing as she did. "You just had to sprain your ankle, didn't you Setsuna?" She muttered. Setsuna sighed, unsure what to do next.

**W**_**ell, I could call Asuna, but . . . I left my phone in the dorm. Huh, not a very smart move. I could use my sword as a walking stick, but . . . that's also at the dorm. I wonder if-**_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that sliced through the silent night air like a knife.

"Well, this is a shame. Isn't it?" someone chuckled. Setsuna looked at the darkness around her, trying to locate where the voice had come from. "That's not going to do any good. You'll just stress yourself. Wouldn't want that, now would we? Hmm?" The person asked. "Where are you? Show yourself to me, now!" Setsuna growled. "As you wish." The mysterious person replied, stepping into the moonlight.

In the little light she had, Setsuna could see it was a male. He had a faint beard, too little hair to be called a beard in her opinion, so it seemed more like he hadn't shaved in a few days. A red button up shirt that was a bit too big and too long for him, even if he seemed to be about 5 foot 8. He wore blue jeans that looked just the right size on him, with what looked to be black boots. He also wore a black, leather coat, that seemed five sizes too long for him, for it went all the way down to the heels of his boots. Plus, black leather gloves kept his hands from getting frost-bite in this freezing, winter air.

His eyes were a soft blue, and his hair was light blonde and cut short. Everything about this man was charming and attractive, but he also seemed very unnerving in a way. The one thing that unnerved Setsuna the most was this simple item he wore. A Black half-mask sat upon his face. It was decorated with small, silver stars and a silver dragon that weaved its way from over the nose to above his right eye.

"Just who the hell are you?" She asked, staring up at him. The man stepped forward a couple paces and replied, "I am one of the night sky, a star in the evening that burns out during the day. I am the silent night breeze that slowly cools you."

He knelt down to the ground and took one of her hands into his gloved one. His gaze never left hers as he slowly leaned down and gently kissed her hand. "I am The Black Knight." he whispered. Setsuna snatched her hand from his as quickly as she could, for she didn't know how else to react. "Feisty." He chuckled. "I like that."

He leaned forward slowly, placing his hands on either side of her. His gazed locked hers with such intensity, it was impossible for her to look away. He moved closer to her, his face just inches from hers. He brought his hand up to her face and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "Care for a kiss?" He asked, leaning closer.

Setsuna's heart raced. She reached up and grabbed his shirt as she tried to push him away. He gave a small, dazzling smile. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, making her heart race even faster and her head spin. She did the first thing she could think of.

She pushed him away. Setsuna could feel her face burning from embarrassment as She turned her head away, not meeting his gaze. "Just what the hell do you want?" She asked. "You." He replied. Setsuna felt her face grow warmer.

"G- go away!" She stammered. "Leave me alone!"

The man was silent for a moment. Finally, he replied, "As you wish."

She heard him get to his feet and walk a few paces away. Setsuna turned to watch him depart, surprised to still see him watching her himself. "I've managed to make you blush." He said, amused. Setsuna stared up at him, unsure of what to do, again. He stared back at her coldly and said, "No matter what you do or where you go, you will be mine, Setsuna. I know everything there is to be known about you, and everything about that girl you protect. If you don't become mine, then she will. I say this now, Setsuna. Leave Konoka and become mine, or watch her suffer."

With a whirl of his coat, he melted into the darkness, leaving Setsuna staring after him in horror. "How did he . . . know my name? And how did he know Ms. Konoka's?" She whispered. Setsuna just sat there, unsure what to do. She was injured, shocked, and just plain confused. She stared at where the man had disappeared, lost in her own thoughts. The sound of footsteps brought her back to reality.

"Master, it's a beautiful night." a voice said. Setsuna recognized it to be Chachamaru's. "Yes, I know." Came the curt reply of Evangeline. The footsteps grew closer, and then stopped all together. "Master, there seems to be something up ahead." Chachamaru said. "More like someone." Eva sighed. "Setsuna, Why are you out so late?"

Setsuna blinked in surprise. She could hardly see five feet in front of her face! How could Evangeline see her, if she couldn't see Evangeline? "Well don't act so surprised. I am a vampire after all." Eva sighed. Setsuna resisted the urge to face-palm herself. How could she have forgotten that one major fact about Eva?

"Well, I'm waiting an answer." Eva snapped. "Please answer my master, Setsuna." Chachamaru added on. "Oh, um sorry." Setsuna quickly apologized. "I went walking earlier, and I kinda tripped . . ."

"Well that explains a lot." Eva said sarcastically. "Why are you still sitting there, then?"

"I may have twisted my ankle . . ." Setsuna trailed off. Eva sighed and stepped forward a few paces, so Setsuna was able to see her now. Chachamaru followed closely behind. Evangeline looked at Setsuna for a moment before turning to Chachamaru. "Do you think you can carry her?" Eva asked the robot.

"I'm running low on energy. Based on her weight and the distance from here to the school . . . " Chachamaru paused for a moment. "I'd only make it half way to the school until I run out of energy."

"Well this is a fine mess." Eva sighed crossly. "You could carry her, master." Chachamaru pointed out. Eva sighed again. "Fine, but if you tell anyone, Setsuna, I'll bite you."

"I wouldn't expect it any other way." Setsuna sighed. Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Just because you my classmate doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to you all the time."

"I understand that. Now, can I have some help up, please?" Setsuna asked, extending out her left arm. Eva stared down at Setsuna's wrist with shock. "Where did you get that?" Eva asked. Setsuna looked at her wrist. A miniature silver dragon hung from it by a small black rope.

"I- I don't know . . ." Setsuna replied. "Do you know it?"

Evangeline stared at the bracelet for a moment before shaking her head. "I've never seen that symbol before."

"Well, we better get you to the nurse." Eva said, avoiding Setsuna's gaze. Evangeline extended a hand out, and Setsuna gratefully took it.

**NEXT DAY**

Setsuna tapped her pencil against her chin as she thought about the algebra equation. "Hmm . . ." she hummed. "How do I simplify this? I wonder if . . . no, that won't work."

She stared at her last homework problem for math. The only sound she heard was the ticking of her clock, her own breathing, and the tapping of her pencil from time to time. She sighed and gave up. She was no math whiz. That was Konoka's job.

Setsuna set her pencil down and closed her text book. "I could use a drink." She muttered, reaching across the table. She had set a glass of lemonade there a bit earlier, in case she became thirsty later in the day. The sound of someone running in the halls could be heard, but Setsuna disregarded it. It was probably a girl who left her text book her dorm.

Setsuna grabbed the ice cold glass and went to take a sip. The only problem was, **HER **door slammed open, causing Setsuna to spill her drink all over herself. She had no time to react before someone wrapped their arms around her. "Wha-" Setsuna also didn't have time to finish before a voice cut her off. "Oh, Setsuna! I'm so sorry I'm late! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Konoka pleaded.

"Ms. Konoka!" Setsuna said, shocked. She looked over her shoulder to see those greatly familiar brown eyes. "Setsuna, what's wrong? You look a bit worried." Konoka said. "I'm fine, really." Setsuna lied, looking away. Konoka sighed, but she didn't push the topic.

Instead, she started a new one. "When I got here, Chachamaru was sitting on the school steps. She told that she was waiting for Eva, and that I could find you in your room. Why aren't you in class?"

Setsuna did look at her friend, then. "Oh, I managed to get four days off." She said. "Really? How did you manage that?" Konoka asked. "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?" Setsuna asked, averting Konoka's question. "Well, I suppose it is lovely weather, but why would you call rain clouds lovely? And, why are you avoiding my question?" Konoka asked. "I kinda tripped while walking." Setsuna sighed.

Konoka blinked, confused. "So they gave you four days off?" She asked. "Why, exactly?"

"Um . . . I may have twisted my ankle when I tripped . . ." Setsuna trailed off. "This is my fault . . ." Konoka said, her shoulders slumping. "I never should of told you to take a walk."

"Oh, no it's not your fault, Ms. Konoka!" Setsuna exclaimed. "I wasn't paying attention to the road, so I tripped. It's really not your fault!"

"Really?" Konoka asked. "I swear upon my honor." Setsuna replied. "Okay. Just one more question." Konoka replied happily. "Why is your shirt wet?"

Setsuna looked down. Right. "I kinda spilled my drink when the door slammed open." She replied. "Sorry about that!" Konoka apologized. Setsuna shook her head. "It's not your fault. You didn't know."

"Still, I'm sorry. Just one thing, though." Konoka said, walking to the kitchen. "What's that?" Setsuna asked. She turned around in her chair so she could see Konoka better. Konoka looked over at her happily. "I'm going to be you very own special nurse!" She said. "Wait, what?!" Setsuna said, taken aback. "No! You can't!"

"Awww! But why? It's my turn to take care of you!" Konoka replied. "B-because I'm **your **protector! I couldn't let you do that! **I'm** suppose to take care of **you**!" Setsuna objected.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty pretty pretty please? With sugar on top?"

"No."

"I guess you give me no choice." Konoka sighed. "If you don't let me take care of you, I'll make sure to fail all the exams we take from now on!"

Setsuna swallowed nervously. She didn't want Konoka to fail all of those exams! She sighed and hung her head. "As you wish, Ms. Konoka."

"Do you promise I can?" Konoka asked. "I swear it." Setsuna replied. "Yay!" Konoka jumped happily. "But, let me just tell you I was teasing."

Setsuna looked up, surprised. "I'd never fail all those tests! I just said that so you'd let me." Konoka shuffled. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to be able to help you."

"Oh." Setsuna stared at her shoes. "So you tricked me?"

"Oh, don't act so down! I said I was sorry! Plus, your going to need lots of rest if your going to get better!" Konoka laughed Setsuna looked up at Konoka, confused. "I think that's when people get sick."

"Oh! It is?"

**2 days later**

_ A twelve year old Setsuna bounded through a beautiful sunflower field, laughing happily. "Oh, Setsuna! Wait up please!" Someone called out. She turned around to see Konoka running towards her with a big grin on her face. "Of course! I'd never leave you behind!" Setsuna laughed. "Isn't just beautiful here?" Konoka asked._

_ Setsuna nodded happily. "It's sunny, it's pretty, and there's lots of flowers!" _

_ It was Konoka's turn to laugh. "Well of course! Don't you remember? I told you about this place a few days ago!"_

_ Setsuna nodded again. "Of course! How could I ever forget?"_

_ Konoka tapped Setsuna on the nose and said, "Bet you can't catch me!" _

_ With that, she took off running. Setsuna laughed and ran after her. "I'll catch you! You'll see!"_

Setsuna blinked open her eyes and stared at the the pillow she was clutching. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Before she had fallen asleep, she had made sure to put her hair down. It was too bad the dream had ended. It was turning out to be such a happy dream.

Setsuna pushed herself into a sitting position and looked over at the clock on the wall. 4:25 P.M.

School should be out by now. She looked towards the door to see if Konoka was here yet. Instead, her gaze was met by a very familiar pair of soft blue eyes. Setsuna screamed and scrambled backwards as best as she could. It was **him**.

He chuckled as he reached out and stroked her hair softly. "I like your hair this way. It's pretty."

Setsuna pulled away from him, speechless. How did he get in her room, and how long has he been standing there? Setsuna could hear running in the hallway, and so did the man. He walked to the middle of the room and looked over at her. "Remember what I said, Setsuna." He warned. "Become mine or watch her suffer."

With those words, he vanished, leaving behind a few snowflakes. Nodoka burst into the room and ran over to Setsuna. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Are you okay? I heard you scream, and I . . ." She trailed off. Setsuna couldn't see the girl's face that well, but she could tell Nodoka was worried. "Oh, I'm fine! Just fine!" Setsuna lied. Truth was, she was terrified.

She was scared Konoka might actually get hurt soon. "Well, um . . . Konoka went to town to pick something up. She asked me to tell you, so I started walking to your room. I heard you scream, and . . ." Nodoka trailed off again.

"I'm fine Nodoka." Setsuna said. "Well, if you say so." Nodoka replied, walking away. "If you need anything, give me a call."

Setsuna watched the girl leave as the man's threat still echoed in her mind . . .

**~~~~~~~ And, the end of chapter one! XD lol I hoped you liked it! Please review!~~~~~~~** **Angel981**


	2. Chapter 2

**A week later**

~Evangeline's POV~

Evangeline muttered to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. "Master, your muttering." Chachamaru said. "I know, you stupid robot!" she snapped back. The robot showed no signs of emotion, of course, after that remark. "Why are you muttering, Master?" Chachamaru asked. Eva turned her head away and replied, "Because of that damned wizard, Negi. He entered me in one of his probationary contracts without my input!"

"I entered a contract too, Master." Chachamaru said. "I know that! What's your point, exactly?" Eva asked, looking back at her friend. "You're not the only girl in the class that kissed him." The robot replied. Evangeline felt her face turn a shade of red. "Yeah, well, I didn't ask to!"

Chachamaru stared blankly at Evangeline. "Master, There seems-"

Evangeline cut Chachamaru off. "I don't care. Why did he kiss me anyway?"

"Master, there's-" Chachamaru was cut off again. "Yes, I know darkness had overcome me, but I couldn't he at least used a spell on me or something? Why a contract?"

"Master-"

"I really don't get it!"

"Master-"

"It's really stupid, you know?"

"Master-"

"I mean, Why do we have to kiss to become partners anyway?"

"Master-"

"In fact, I wonder if-"

"Master!"

"What?!" Eva growled. "What's bothering you so much? Why do you keep interrupting me?!"

"Master, there's-" Chachamaru was cut off once more. "Hey you with the face!" Chamo popped up out of the front of Chachamaru's shirt, startling the hell out of Evangeline. "What's shaking?"

Evangeline stepped backwards, shocked. "Master." Chachamaru said calmly. "There's appears to be something in my shirt."

"Well, why didn't you say so?!" Eva shouted. "And, Chamo, What the Hell are you doing in Chachamaru's shirt?! You little-"

Evangeline lunged out for Chamo, only to end up crashing into Chachamaru. The whole group then crashed onto the ground painfully. "You stupid little Ermine! When I get my hands on you, your dead! Where the hell did you go?!" Eva growled, pushing herself onto her hands and knees.

"Master."

"What Chachamaru?!"

Chachamaru pointed up at Evangeline's shirt. The Vampire took a hint and slowly looked down at her own shirt. There he was, his head sticking out of the collar of her shirt, with a big smirk on his face. Evangeline went even redder in the face than she had before. "Master, there appears to be something in your shirt, too." Chachamaru said calmly.

"How can you be so calm?!" Evangeline exclaimed. "And you, get the hell out of my shirt you Damned little pervert! How did you get in there anyway?!"

"Alright! Alright!" Chamo said, quickly scurrying away before Eva could catch him. "I just overheard you saying that you're upset over kissing Negi!"

"And?" Evangeline asked, pushing herself to her feet. She grabbed the collar of her shirt protectively and glared at Chamo. "And, I just saying this. That's not the only person you kissed." Chamo teased. "What are you talking about? The only other men here are Takamichi and Dean. I doubt I kissed them." Evangeline scoffed. "I didn't say you kissed a boy." Chamo grinned.

"Master, I think he's saying you kissed a girl." Chachamaru said. "What?! I'd never do that!" Eva said angrily, turning from Chamo. "Oh, but you did." Chamo continued. "And guess who it was!"

"I'm not going to-" Evangeline was cut off. "Too slow. It was Asuna. Ciao!" With that, The ermine scurried off. And, once again, Evangeline went red in the face with embarrassment. "Damn Ermine." She muttered. "Damn ermine. Damn ermine. It's not true. He's lying. That damn ermine."

"Well well well. So, you've gone and kissed a girl, haven't you, Evangeline?" She froze. She'd recognized that voice anywhere. "Koori." She replied. "So nice of you to remember me." He laughed. "Why don't you turn around so I can see your face?"

"No one orders Master around." Chachamaru said. Eva heard the robot step forward. "Chachamaru, Stop. Please." Evangeline turned around and fixed her gaze upon her shocked friend. "I know him. If you pick a fight with him, you'd lose. Plus, He has the authority to boss me around, unlike most people."

Chachamaru frowned, but backed down. Evangeline then turned towards the man, taken aback by his appearance. "You look . . . Different."

"And your the same." The man replied. Eva studied him for a moment. Blonde hair, blue eyes, black gloves, black boots, black jacket, red shirt, blue jeans, and a black mask decorated with silver stars and dragon. "You seriously did a make over to yourself. Your a lot shorter than I remember, and what happened to your hair? It's blonde! Plus, you eyes are blue! Aren't they suppose to be-" Eva was cut off. 

"Shut up Eva." He growled. "I came here for one thing, and that's a spell. I need help casting it. Will you help me?"

"I don't know why you wasted your time asking me that." Evangeline sighed. "You know I have to if you ask it of me. Just one question, though."

Koori frowned. "What's that?"

"What kind of spell is this anyway?" Eva asked. Koori grinned. "It's a spell made especially for Konoka Konoe."

**3 Days Later**

**~~~~~~Setsuna's POV~~~~~~**

"I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling Evangeline's been avoiding me." Konoka said. "Ms. Konoka, no offense, but Evangeline avoids everyone." Setsuna replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, You're right." Konoka sighed. "I'm being silly."

Konoka fumbled around in her pockets for a minute as she tried to locate her keys. She sighed and gave up a few seconds later. "I think I gave my keys to Asuna, Setsuna. Can I just stay with you?"

"I don't mind." Setsuna replied. A few moments later, they were both standing in Setsuna's room. "Would you like some tea, Ms. Konoka?" She asked. "Oh, no. I just fine." The girl replied, shaking her head. Setsuna nodded and walked over to her closet. She set her sword and her school satchel on a shelf and closed the door.

She turned towards Konoka in surprise when she heard a small buzzing noise. "Oh, is that me?" Konoka asked, digging in her pockets again. She pulled out a small phone and flipped it open. "Hello? Oh! Hi father! How is everyone?" Konoka smiled happily.

Setsuna chuckled to herself. It's been awhile since Konoka's heard from her family. "I can't wait to see you again! How's little Yumi? I can't wait to see her either! I bet she's just-" Konoka froze, her grin disappearing. The phone slipped from her hand and dropped to the floor with a soft thud. "Ms. Konoka?" Setsuna questioned. "Is everything alright?"

Konoka slowly walked over to Setsuna's bed and sat down, hiding her face in her hands. Setsuna quietly walked over to Konoka and hesitantly stroked the girl's hair. Konoka raised her head and looked up at Setsuna. Tears laid in the girls eyes as she spoke. "Yumi's deathly ill, Setsuna."

Setsuna froze as well. An image passed through her mind. It was a little girl about Negi's size, around nine years of age. She had short scruffy brown hair, one green eye, and one blue eye. The biggest and the cutest grin sat upon that girl's face, making her seem younger than she was. This little girl was Konoka's younger sister.

Setsuna dropped to her knees, letting her head rest upon Konoka's leg. "Not little Yumi." She whispered. Konoka just burst into tears. Setsuna sat there, shocked. Yumi was sick? That girl almost never got sick!

Setsuna slowly pushed herself to her feet and sat beside Konoka. She reached over and pulled Konoka close to her. Konoka just clutched onto Setsuna's shirt and cried onto her shoulder. Setsuna didn't care what happened. She just held her friend close and let her cry.

**2 Days Later ~Setsuna's POV~**

Silence filled the air as Setsuna and Konoka walked along the stone path. It was daylight hours, so they could both see the path clearly. Konoka hasn't spoken to much of anyone since that phone call. Setsuna knew that Konoka cared more for that little girl more than anyone else in her family.Even her mother.

Setsuna sighed and tried to talk to her. "Ms. Konoka, it's a beautiful day out. What do you think?"

Konoka looked up at the sky before turning her attention back to the road with a shrug. Setsuna sighed again and hung her head. She had failed to cheer up Konoka. "I hope Yumi gets better." Setsuna mumbled too low for Konoka to hear. "I really hope so."

Suddenly, something grabbed Setsuna by the ankle and pulled her down. That's when she noticed the darkness that hung at the edge of the trees. She had only time to shout one word before that darkness overtook her. "Konoka!"

**~Konoka's POV~**

Konoka turned around quickly at her friend's call. But, the only thing she saw was Setsuna's sword sitting neatly on the ground, untouched. _**Where did she go? She was here a moment ago, and why did she leave her sword? Setsuna almost never leaves me alone, Never! **_

**~Nodoka's POV~**

Nodoka walked alongside Yue, carrying about twenty books in her arms, as usual. "Hey Bookworm, Are you sure you okay?" Yue asked, glancing at her friend. "Yes, I'm fine." Nodoka replied, hiding her face in the shadows of her hair. Truth was, the books were starting to get heavy. Yue shrugged and continued to sip her mystery juice.

"I wonder why Haruna skipped out on us today." Yue said. "She usually always comes."

"Well, she had something to do today." Nodoka replied shyly. "So, what kind of books did you get this time, Bookworm?" Yue asked, sipping her juice again. "Oh, well, um . . . I picked out some spell books for Negi." Nodoka replied, her face turning a shade of red. Yue grinned before going back to her juice box.

Nodoka gave a small squeak of alarm as something grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away from Yue, making her drop all of the books. Yue turned around, her eyes widening in surprise. "What the hell? I thought we got rid of the darkness!" Yue gasped. Nodoka squirmed, trying to fight off the darkness, but, Instead, that just made it harder to break away. Yue scrambled over to help Nodoka, but she was too late. The darkness had already taken a hold of Nodoka, and it disappeared with her.

~Konoka's POV~

Konoka raced past through the woods and towards the school. The moment Setsuna had disappeared, the world had turned gray and white from snow. It had been a cool, sunny day, before. Now, strange clouds covered the sky, and it was just freezing. Konoka didn't like it much.

Soon, she found herself at the school steps. Jeez, the place looked deserted. Not a girl was in sight. "I wonder where everyone went." Konoka thought aloud. As if to answer her question, footsteps started to echo off the walls of the school. Sound like someone was running.

Konoka turned around to see Negi and Asuna running towards her. Chachamaru was flying next to them, carrying an agitated looking Eva. Well, at least she wasn't alone. When they finally reached her, Eva was the first to talk. "What the hell is going on? Where are we?"

Negi pushed his glasses into place a responded, "I'm not entirely sure."

"Well, where the hell is everyone?! One moment I was standing in the damn courtyard, next, I freezing to death out here!" Asuna said crossly. "Well, you can have my coat." Negi said, trying to hand it to the girl. "I don't want your stupid coat, Negi!" Asuna snapped. "You don't have to yell!" Negi whined tearfully. "Negi, my man, Stop crying!" Chamo said, scampering out of the boy's backpack.

"I know, I know Chamo." Negi replied, wiping the tears away. Eva glared at the ermine, hold the collar of her shirt. _**I wonder what that's all about.**_

The ermine smirked and looked back at Negi. "Look bro, it's obviously the darkness. I don't know how, but it's still out there."

"I guess you're right." Negi sighed. He looked at the woods surrounding them thoughtfully. "I wonder why it's snowing." Konoka said aloud. Asuna looked at her with some curiosity. "Is that the only thing on your mind?"

Konoka blinked. "Of course not!"

Negi sighed again and looked at the girls that surrounded him. "Do you suppose everyone's here, Chamo?" He asked. "Well, duh!" The ermine replied. "At least I hope so."

A chilling laugh drew their attention towards the school. Konoka gasped and took a step back. Setsuna was doubled over, laughing. Nodoka stood beside her, smiling. Setsuna stopped laughing and straightened up. Setsuna flashed an evil smile at everyone. That's when Konoka finally got a good look at her friend.

Setsuna wore a black, heeled boots that cut off at her knees and A black cotton skirt. She also wore A long sleeved, white button up shirt and a long, black cloak that reached just above the heels of her boots. A black witch hat sat on her head, and a wand with a moon crescent was held in her hand. Her hair was let down, but Konoka could clearly see it was her friend. Why was she dressed like a witch?

Konoka looked over at Nodoka. She had on the same black boots as Setsuna, but red stockings accompanied them. She also had on the same black, cotton skirt that Setsuna wore. The jacket she wore looked exactly like the school uniform, except the fact it was all black. Plus, there was no school symbol upon the pocket. Red glasses sat on her face, and her hair was parted to where you could always see her eyes.

Jeez, Nodoka looked scary, but there was one detail that was definitely nothing like Nodoka. Well, two. First, She had a chilling look in her eyes that would give even Evangeline second thoughts about going anywhere near her. Second, She held in her hand, not a book, but several small throwing knives. Again, scary.

"Why are they dressed like that?" Asuna asked. Eva sighed. "Because, you idiot. They're being controlled by the darkness! Why else?"

Konoka looked back at Setsuna, who was now making her way down the steps and towards Konoka. She stopped on the last step and leaned over, making her nose to nose with Konoka. She grinned evilly as she said, "Miss me?"

**~~~~~~~The end of Chapter 2! Yay! Person thanks to those who Fav. This and review! Especially the first two people! Special ****thanks to: ****The Power of Konosetsu AND NegimaFan1513~~~~~~~**


	3. Chapter 3

~Konoka's POV~

Konoka took a step back, shocked. "S- Setsuna?" she stuttered. "A-are you okay?"

Setsuna's grin widened at the expression on her face. "Better than ever, my dear Konoka." She laughed. "I'm much better off now than I ever was with you!"

Konoka stared up at her friend, at a lost for words. Was it true? Did Setsuna really hate being with her? Setsuna noticed her hesitation and found this the perfect opportunity to continue her verbal attack. "In fact, I bet you were never really my friend! This friendship we've always had, It's always been nothing to you! I swear, that's what it's seems like. It's always been one-sided, hasn't it?"

Konoka was shocked. _'Why would she say that? Am I really that bad of a friend?'_

Setsuna laughed again, enjoying Konoka's shock. "You may have smarts, but common sense isn't a part of that, now is it? You're the worst person I know! I could write a novel on how many times I've had to protect you from some random stranger. Oh, there's more, much more. Remember that one time when we went shopping? I tried to warn you, but you just had to go talk that guy. He ended up being a pervert, and I had to save your ass again."

She squeaked, remembering the day. She had only wanted to ask a question. "And remember that one time when you slipped off the boat?" Setsuna asked. "I had to swim all the way out there because your stupid foot caught onto something. You're really hopeless, you know that? You're a stupid little girl. You're the worst friend someone could ever have."

Konoka fell to her knees, her lower lip trembling. Tears threatened to fall over her eyelashes as the shadows seemed to grow around her friend. Setsuna did a little twirl, raising her wand in the air. "While you're here," Setsuna stopped and pointed the wand at Konoka. "I'm going to destroy you."

Scary, sticky threads of darkness erupted from the wand and towards her. Konoka was paralyzed with both fear and shock as they neared towards her. Suddenly, the were cut off by a ridiculously large sword that more than likely belonged to Asuna. "What the hell are you doing? Get out of the dirt! What are you, a statue?" Asuna yelled.

Konoka blinked, confused. "When did you change, Asuna?"

Asuna rolled her eyes. "When you were about to cry! Now, get out of the dirt and onto your feet. I think she's about to attack again. Plus, Nodoka doesn't look too happy."

Konoka looked around, spotting a distressed looking Eva as a bunny, Chachamaru holding the bunny, and Negi trying his best to defend himself from a very pissed looking Nodoka. First off, why was Eva a bunny? Second, Konoka now knew to never make Nodoka mad. She turned her attention back to Asuna, even more confused. Asuna was defending Konoka from another attack.

"What the hell are you doing?" Asuna growled. "GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE DIRT! HOW MANY TIME DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?"

Konoka gave a little squeak, scrambling to her feet. "S-s- sorry!" She stuttered. Asuna gave a small sigh as she ran towards Negi. Nodoka had somehow managed to get him on the ground, and she was proceeding to cut his throat with a small knife. "A- Asuna!" Negi squealed, weakly defending himself. "H- help!"

"Have I already lost your attention?" Setsuna asked, sighing. Konoka quickly looked back at Setsuna, very uneasy. "I . . . Um . . . no?"

Setsuna laughed, clearly unconvinced. "My attacks seem to be doing no harm. Why don't I just go into a field I'm comfortable with, then? What do you say, Konoka?"

Konoka's eyes widened, knowing what her friend meant. Setsuna threw her wand in the air, walking down the remainder of the steps. What fell back to her wasn't a wand, but a sword. Konoka's knees felt like they were going to buckle at any moment. Setsuna also observed this, and she grinned. "What? Are you scared, or is the truth finally making itself clear to you?"

Konoka shook her head, holding her ears. She didn't want to listen to another verbal attack. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" Setsuna asked, walking towards her slowly. "Y- your not yourself! Please stop this Setsuna . . . please." Konoka pleaded. Setsuna chuckled, unfazed.

She took off running at Konoka, swinging her sword out. Konoka scrambled to the right, the tip of the sword barely missing her nose. "You never cared for me." Setsuna growled, swinging her sword at Konoka again. It just barely missed the girl once again. "You never cared about how I felt or who I loved." She continued, this time managing to cut her cheek.

Konoka's vision was blurry, not from the physical pain, but the emotional pain she felt. "You never knew how I felt. You never even thought about what I pain I held every time I saw you." She growled, missing Konoka once more. "You never really knew how much I was in love with you."

Konoka froze, shocked. Setsuna was in love with her? Suddenly, a pain pierced through her arm, making her grind her teeth. "You never cared." Setsuna growled, raising her sword. "I was always there, and still, you never even dared to look my way. You didn't-"

She was cut off by Konoka's sudden shout. "You're wrong!"

Setsuna blinked, lowering the sword to the ground. "Say again?"

"Y- your wrong Setsuna." Konoka said, tears streaming down her face. "You say I never cared, and that I was never your friend. You're wrong! I do care, and I am your friend!"

Setsuna looked like she was struggling to do say something, but couldn't. So, Konoka continued. "You say I didn't care about how you you felt or who you loved. I always did. Why do you think I was so worried when I found out you sprained your ankle? Plus, I always wanted you to find someone special! Even if . . ."

Konoka trailed off, unsure how to finish. "L- lies! You still don't care!" Setsuna shouted, covering her ears. "You're lying! I- I'll destroy you! You'll see! I'll get you!"

**~Chachamaru's POV~**

Evangeline pouted, crossing her little rabbit arms. Chachamaru observed that she wasn't very happy. "Dumb contract." Her master muttered. "Are you sure you're alright, Master?" She asked. "You look agitated."

"That question's dumb and so are you." Eva snapped. Chachamaru stared back a her, unfazed. Her master may have been turned into a dud, but she was still as feisty as ever. "Life is a mere dream." Chachamaru said, looking up at the stars. "A fleeting shadow on a cloudy day."

Evangeline stared up at her, confused by her reply. "I don't think that's what you're suppose to say . . ."

Chachamaru blinked, confused herself. Where did that come from? "My apologies." she said, looking back down at the bunnyfied Eva. The girl sighed before trying to free herself of the robot's grip. "Let me go!"

"Yes Master." Chachamaru said, dropping the dud. Eva gave a, "Hey!" before hitting the ground. "That hurt!"

"You said to drop you." She pointed out blandly. Eva hopped up and down, trying to hit Chachamaru's hand. "I didn't mean that literally!"

The rabbit's attempts were quite cute . . .

A sudden burst of light drew both of the girls attentions back to the scene before them. Negi was hold out his staff, yelling a spell. "Whispers of time, lay you hand upon me, and destroy thy darkness that has poisoned thee before me! Ardescat Lux Vente!"

**~Konoka's POV~**

Both Setsuna and Nodoka fell towards the ground limply. Nodoka was caught by Asuna, and Setsuna by Konoka. A poof was heard as Asuna suddenly changed back into her normal self. "Ohhhh . . ." Asuna groaned, falling into the dirt. "I'm so hungry . . ."

Konoka set Setsuna's head on her lap, brushing a strand of stray hair from the girl's face. She was back to both her usual hair style and clothing. "Setsuna?" She whispered. "Are you okay?"

No reply. The girl looked as if she were sleeping, but something wasn't right . . .

"Nodoka, wake up!" Negi said desperately. "Chamo, why won't she wake up?"

"Dude, if you haven't noticed, we're still in the magical world! And, it seems to be getting colder . . ." Chamo replied. Another poof was heard as Evangeline also turned human again. Well, vampire. "Welcome back Master." Chachamaru said. "Ow . . ." Eva muttered, ignoring the robot. "My stomach feels like a cave."

"We should probably get inside." Konoka said, shielding her eyes against the sudden wind. "It's starting to snow really bad."

**3 hours later**

Konoka sighed, watching Setsuna and Nodoka closely. The girls had been placed on mats in the nurse's office, so everyone just kinda gathered there. Neither of the girls have woken up yet, and Negi was seriously freaking out. Asuna, for once, was being quiet and minding her own business while Eva tried to calm the wizard down. "Negi, calm down!" Eva growled. "I'll bite you if you don't!"

"Oh . . ." Negi whimpered, forcing himself to calm down. Konoka sighed again, drawing the attention of a magical talking ermine. "Yo, Konoka, sup?"

"Oh, hi Chamo." She replied, running her finger through her hair. "I didn't see you there."

"Well, duh!" Chamo grinned, smoking some random cigar. "I'm a master of stealth."

Konoka smiled sadly. "How so?"

Chamo grinned, making Konoka a bit nervous. "Well, let's say you're sleeping one random night. I could easily sneak out of bed and into your clothes drawer. Let me see, what is held there? Hmm? I know, do you?"

Konoka went a little red. "Why would you go through my clothes?" She asked, knowing the answer. Chamo laughed, clearly amused. "For your underwear, of course! An ermine's gotta live, am I right?"

Konoka's first thought was to fling the rodent across the room like Asuna would. Instead, she just sat there turning even redder with embarrassment. "I mean, who can resist? I live in a chick's room!" Chamo continued, making Konoka turn even redder. "It doesn't get any better than that! You never know where I might be hiding . . ."

He took another puff of the cigar, clearly enjoying the fact he was making Konoka extremely embarrassed. "But enough about me, What about you and Setsuna?" He grinned. "I overheard the girl's in love with you."

Konoka covered her ears, trying to block out the ermine's "idle chatting". Sadly, it didn't work well. She could still hear Chamo's continuous teasing and remarks and random things about Setsuna. So, Konoka kept blushing more and more and more. That's when someone finally noticed.

"Chamo, what the hell are you doing to Konoka?!" Asuna yelled, grabbing the ermine in a deadly grip. "Ack!" Chamo choked, trying to wriggle his way out of the grip. This, of course, caused Asuna to grip even harder before slamming the creature into a wall. He slid down slowly, tears streaming down his furry face. "You little pervert." Asuna muttered, turning her attention to Konoka. "What did he do, Konoka?"

"He was teasing me about Setsuna, and he said something about my underwear." Konoka mumbled, hoping it was too low for the girl to hear. Asuna laughed, making it clear she had heard. "Underwear, I understand, but why would he tease you about Setsuna?"

"I don't know." Konoka lied. Asuna shrugged, patting the girl on the head. "You'll be fine."

"I doubt it." Konoka muttered, watching her fried leave. "Fine!" Evangeline shouted suddenly. "If you want to know so badly, the why don't I just use a spell to see what's keeping them asleep?"

"That's more like it, vampire." Chamo replied smugly. A moment later, Eva was standing beside Nodoka, her hands pressed to the girl's forehead. She murmured unintelligible before a green light shone from under her hands. A moment later, the light disappeared, leaving a shock look on the vampires face. She glanced over at Negi before speaking.

"There's only one way to wake them up . . ." Eva trailed off. "You have to . . ."

**~Setsuna's POV~**

Setsuna watched the last streaks sunlight spread across the sky peacefully. The colors purple, pink, and red made the sunset even more beautiful than any other she had seen. She sighed happily, closing her eyes. The last remainder of the sun's rays washed over her, warming up her school coat. How could this day get any better?

She sighed happily once again, enjoying the sounds different animals going about. She opened eyes and stared at the now darkened sky. One lone star shone above her, making her feel sorry for it. "You shouldn't be alone, you little star." She murmured sadly. "No one should ever be alone."

Frogs croaked happily, and the sounds of crickets could be heard. It was so comforting. A sudden idea popped up in her head. She wasn't one for poetry, but she intrigued to try anyway. "Hmm . . ." She hummed quietly. The first lyric popped in her head, making her smile.

"_A lone star sits in the sky, as I idly float on by_."

She thought for a moment more about what to say next. A sudden thought gave her an idea for the rest of the lyrics. She repeated the first verse, allowing herself a moment of silence before hand.

"_A lone star sits in the sky, as I idly float on by_."

"_It reminds me of the loneliness I know well. What loneliness I know well, I would never tell."_

"_No one should be alone, not even a star. Without love, no one can go far."_

"_The pain in my world is cruel and uncaring. But I keep it locked up, for I don't plan on sharing."_

"_My thought should stay mine until the end of time. At least that's what I thought until that little star shined."_

"_A lone star sits in the sky, as I idly float on by_."

"_It reminds me of the loneliness I know well. What loneliness I know well, I would never tell."_

"_No one should be alone, not even a star. Without love, no one can go far."_

Setsuna grinned, happy with her sudden work. Another thought hit her, making her frown. Why was **she** alone?

**~Konoka's POV~**

"I have to what?!" Negi squealed, backing away. "You have to kiss her." Evangeline sighed, rubbing her temple. "I learned that she'll only wake if the person she cares about the most kisses her."

"B- but that's indecent!" Negi whined. Suddenly, he lifted into the air by an agitated looking Asuna. "Kiss the damn girl, Negi. We all know that you like her. Plus, it's the only way to wake her up."

Konoka stifled a laugh. "Come on Negi." she encouraged. "It's just a kiss."

Negi was desperately trying to free himself of Asuna's grasp, but she had a good hold of his collar. She wasn't letting go anytime soon. "Come on man." Chamo pleaded. "This is bookworm we're talking about here!"

Negi mumbled something, making Asuna laugh. "Alright, but you better kiss the girl."

She set Negi on the floor, watching his every move. He slowly made his way to Nodoka, looking very uneasy. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath to see if the kiss worked. He knelt to the ground and leaned down hesitantly, clearly nervous. Konoka leaned forward in her chair, hardly able to wait.

Negi shook what ever thoughts were in his head away and closed the distance between him and Nodoka. He kissed the girl lightly on the lip, making Konoka smile. Nodoka's blinked open her eyes sleepily, finding herself staring at Negi. She stared at the young boy, before turning a small shade of red. "Um . . ." Nodoka mumbled. "You're really close to me, professor Negi."

"Well, duh!" Asuna laughed while Negi scrambled back. "The dude just kissed you."

Nodoka turned an even brighter shade of red than before. "He- he did?" she squeaked, her hair hiding her expression. "You can bet all your panties he did!" Chamo shouted from some random corner. Nodoka gave another small squeak, turning even redder. "Chamo, you scaring her!" Negi whined very tearfully.

Konoka clenched her jaw at the ermine's remark. No one looked very happy about it. "Chamo, you pervert!" Asuna yelled, diving at him. Konoka turned her attention back to Negi. He was talking to Nodoka quietly, telling her all that happened. "Well, what if we used my encyclopedias?" Nodoka asked. "They could probably tell us how to wake Setsuna up. Then we could get out of here."

Negi brightened up at the idea. "That's it Nodoka! Why didn't I think of that?"

A moment later, Nodoka was in her rare card form. It was a lucky draw. She searched through her encyclopedias, searching on how to wake up Setsuna. "Here it is!" She smiled. "You can wake up Setsuna the same way you woke. A kiss from the person she cares about the most."

Konoka blinked, shocked. She knew exactly who that was. She was the one who had to kiss Setsuna. "Well, try looking up who has to kiss her." Chamo suggested. Nodoka flipped through her books again, finding another answer. "The person who must kiss Setsuna knows exactly who they are."

There was a "poof" and Nodoka was left standing there with a growling stomach. "Ohhh." She groaned, holding her stomach. "I'm so hungry, Negi."

Chamo sighed, scuttling over the the girl with a bagel in his paw. "Here."

Everyone kinda circled around Negi and Nodoka after that. Well, everyone but her. Konoka slowly walked to Setsuna's side, gazing at the girl's face. She paused for a moment, doubts flickering across her mind. _'What if I'm not it? Does Setsuna really care for me? I hope she doesn't react the same way she did all those years ago . . .' _

Konoka shook the thoughts out of her head. _'I'm as bad as Negi! Honestly . . .'_

Konoka knelt beside her friend, chewing her bottom lip nervously. She pulled Setsuna off the mat and onto her lap, doing her best to support the girl's neck. Konoka closed her eyes and leaned down slowly. She gently kissed Setsuna, praying for the girl to wake up.

**~Setsuna's POV~**

Setsuna blinked open her eyes sleepily. Someone was kissing her. No, Konoka was kissing her. This had to be a dream. It had to be. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Konoka's neck, deepening the kiss.

"Wait- is Konoka kissing Setsuna?!" Chamo asked, surprised. This, of course, startled Setsuna. She pulled away from Konoka, finding herself staring into the girl's eyes. "You're awake." Konoka whispered, her eyes tearful. "You're finally awake."

Setsuna felt her face grow red with embarrassment. "W-wait? I'm awake?!"

**~Ending! XD yeah! ****Special thanks to: ****The Power of Konosetsu, NegimaFan1513, UberNimrod, and KAGEJASPER. Thank you! Please review! by for now!~ Angel981**


	4. Chapter 4

**~Konoka's POV~ **

"Isn't the snow beautiful, Setsuna?" Konoka asked, staring at the scene around her in wonder. Trees were turned pure white from the snow that piled heavily onto them, and the sunlight bounced off random icicles that clung desperately onto their thick branches. A steady flow of delicate snowflakes danced around her in the crisp, winter air that stung her lungs with every breath she took. Rabbits hopped from place to place, doing their best to avoid the constant drifts that laid along the snowy paths. Mahora Academy had literally become a winter-wonder-snow land.

Setsuna mumbled something intelligible as a reply to the question. Konoka glanced at her friend worriedly, unsure whether she should be feeling happy, confused, or sad. _**'Well, at least she's talking to me . . . some. I can be happy about that, but I'm just plain confused to see her acting so weird. Sometimes, I catch her looking over at me in class, but, then, she just looks away, blushing. But, I'm also sad that she's not talk too much. She's only spoken a few times to me since yesterday . . . Did the kiss really hurt her that much?'**_

__Konoka sighed, turning her attention to the snowy ground. Her boots crunched with every step she took, making it sound like she was walking on bunch of 'Fruit Loops'. She bit her bottom lip, stifling a giggle that threatened to escape at the thought of her silly comparison. Step, crunch, step, crunch, step, crunch. **_'I feel like a kid!' _**she thought excitedly.

"Hey, Setsuna!" Konoka giggled, pausing to look over at her friend. "The ground sounds like cereal!"

The swordsman stopped and looked over at Konoka, her hazel eyes both questionable and curious. Her bangs just slightly hung over her face, creating few shadows that danced from place to place every time she moved. Her black skinny jeans seemed to shape around her just right, and a long-sleeved purple shirt just barely peeked under the sleeve of her new jacket. The jacket itself was the same color of her jeans, and it was thick enough to keep her warm from all this harsh weather.

Snowflakes decorated the swordsman's hair freely, giving her an innocent, yet playful look. Her face was a bit red from the cold, and her breath fogged in the air every time she exhaled. Now, Konoka would be lying to herself if she didn't accepted one very obvious fact. Setsuna looked pretty damn cute.

The swordsman cleared her throat as she shuffled her boots awkwardly. Konoka's face flushed slightly as she turned her attention to the ground. She hadn't meant to stare. "I- I'm sorry!" she stammered. Setsuna waved off the apology, turning her attention back to the road as well.

Konoka continued to 'crunch' the snow, and she was soon back to giggling. Step, crunch, step, crunch, step, crunch. _**'This is almost like home . . .'**_

__step, crunch, step, crunch, step, crunch, step, PLOP! Konoka gave a small squeak of terror as she was caught off-guard by a snow drift. She blinked for a moment, confused. **_'What the . . .?'_**

A snowflake drifted down from the cloudy sky and landed onto Konoka's nose, making her sneeze. "S- s- set- set- su- su- suna, I- I- I've g- got s- sn- snow i- in m- my c- cl- clothes!" She stammered, sneezing again. It was true; she could feel the small ice crystals rubbing against her skin as they slowly started melting. She heard a few rushed footsteps, and before she knew it, Setsuna was kneeling on the ground beside her. "Are you okay?" the swordsman asked worriedly.

Konoka nodded, sneezing again. "Y- yeah. I'm j- just r- really c- c- cold!"

Konoka squeaked in surprise as Setsuna's arms wrapped around her waist and under her knees. "Ups-a-daisy." the swordsman mumbled, pulling Konoka up into her arms with ease. This resulted in an obvious blush from Konoka. "S- Setsuna . . ." She trailed off, staring up into the swordsman's hazel eyes. They held a mixture of emotions: confusion . . . worry . . . shock . . . and even love. Setsuna looked away, averting her gaze the ground as a scarlet blush of her own spread across her face.

More than anything, Konoka wanted to hug the swordsman right now, but she knew better than to try. For, that action might result in more than just silence from the swordsman. Instead, she bit her bottom lip, as she averted her gaze away as well. "Setsuna . . ." She mumbled softly, trailing off. "You can put me down now."

Setsuna's face blazed even redder as she realized she still held the girl in her arms. The swordsman quickly, yet gently, set Konoka onto her feet as she mumbled something that sounded like an apology. Konoka could feel her own face heating up even more as well. "Oh, no. It wasn't your fault, Setsuna. I should have been watching were I stepped . . ."

Konoka heard the shuffling of feet, and she looked up worriedly. Setsuna had her hands over her ears as she shook her head in a 'No' as she backed away from her. "I'm sorry Ms. Konoka, it's just- well, I- I can't do this! I can't have these kind of thoughts!"

With that being said, Setsuna turned to run away. But, before she could, Konoka grabbed a hold of Setsuna's arm, causing the swordsman to hesitate slightly. "Setsuna . . ." she trailed off, staring up at the swordsman. "What were you thinking about . . . ?"

"P- pl- please. Please, Ms. Konoka. Don't make me tell you." Setsuna turned a pair of pleading, hazel eyes towards her. "It is shameful for me to think such things about you . . ."

Konoka tightened her grip on the Swordsman's arm as she frowned. "Setsuna."

Setsuna's gaze quickly moved to the ground at the sound of her name. She was silent for a moment, but then she whispered, "You. I was thinking about you, Konoka. I was thinking about how cute you looked when you blushed and with snowflakes in your hair. I was thinking about how cute _**You **_looked, no matter what . . ."

Konoka blinked open her eyes sleepily as she resisted the urge to yawn. Everything around her was dark;Not a light shone anywhere in the room. She could instantly tell it was still too early in the morning for school. _**'Why did it have to end? I was having such a wonderful dream . . .'**_

__Konoka closed her eyes again as she tried to catch any trace her fleeting dream before it left her mind for good. She might as well have tried to get Haruna to stop being such a pervert. With a small sigh, Konoka gave up, and she let her mind drift off to other thoughts peacefully. _**'I really wish I could dream of Setsuna more often . . .'**_

***Setsuna's POV***

Setsuna yawned as she laced up both worn her training boots without paying the slightest attention to what she was doing. One word- habit. "I can't believe Eva's having me come over _**this**_ early in the morning . . ." Setsuna grumbled under her breath. "It's not even the crack of dawn, yet."

She sighed, shaking her head. "Quite complaining and finish getting ready, Setsuna. You're the one who asked Eva to train you, so you could protect the one you love . . ."

__Setsuna eyes widened with shock as she realized what she had just said. _**'Th- th- the one I- I love . . .?'**_

__Her mind instantly flew to the memory of kiss that had happened between her and Konoka so recently . . .

She could still feel the warmth of Konoka's body when the girl had held her so close. She could remember the soft, silky feeling of her hair from when she had ran her fingers through it. But, the most memorable part was the kiss itself. When Setsuna had felt Konoka's lips pressed against hers, she had never felt any joy greater than this in her life. She had never felt love so strongly before . . .

That's why she had thought it to be a dream. And, because of her mistake, she had consciously kissed Konoka back. In dreams, there are no real consequences;She knew this. But, in life, there _**were **_consequences;Plenty of them. _'All is fair in love and war', _as the old saying went . . . but . . . it was wrong. War may be fair, but Love isn't.

Setsuna knew this deep down in her soul, heart, and mind, yet she still yearned for Konoka. She wanted to stay at the girl's side, as more than just a friend. She wanted to be the one who held her at night, protecting her from the darkness that lurked in this world. She wanted to be the one who held her hand each and every day, guiding her through her life with joyous steps and loving words. But, most of all, she wished she could share another kiss with her.

If only . . . If only she had the chance . . . If only she could . . .

Setsuna shook her head from side-to-side, harshly, to snap herself out of the daze she had fallen into. _**'No!' **_She thought desperately. _**'I can't be thinking about Ms. Konoka like this! It is unlawful for me to think such things about her. Besides, I am her Swordsman, and that's all I'll ever be to her . . .'**_

__Setsuna sighed as she went to push herself to her feet. Her hand brush against something soft, and she heard the crinkling of paper. She blinked in surprise and looked down at where her hand was now resting. A clean, white envelope – sealed shut – bared the name, 'Ms Konoka.' written upon the back of it. "What the . . . ?"

Setsuna flipped the envelope to the front, and she nearly face-palmed when she saw the words, 'From- Setsuna' written neatly upon it in black ink. "I completely forgot!" She groaned. "I wrote a note to Ms. Konoka, telling her I won't be able to walk her to school . . ."

_**'Well, I guess it's good luck that I found it before I left.' **_Setsuna thought. _**'Konoka would be worried if I didn't show up without notice . . . I wonder why Eva is keeping me until the lunch period begins. . .'**_

__Setsuna shrugged, pushing herself to her feet, stretching as she did. "Well, I don't want to be late. Eva might drink every last drop of my blood if I am." She sighed. Setsuna finished stretching, and walked towards the entrance of her room, strapping her sword to her waist on the way. She pushed her door open silently, peering out into the hallway. The only sound she heard was the continuous humming of electricity.

Setsuna sighed happily, glad to be able to avoid all the usual morning drama. That was usually a pain to always go through. The streets would be crowded for at least an hour; vendors were constantly ranting on and on about their 'low priced items' and so on; there was a lot of shouting, hugging, and – yes – even kissing.

_**'All this trouble, just to avoid a little drama . . . damn, Eva . . . now that I think about it . . . I get why you always skip school.' **_

__Setsuna gave a small huff of laughter as she closed the door shut behind her. Sometimes, she wished she could just skip school like that, but the thought of Konoka waiting for her had always pulled her away from the silly thought. She shook her head slightly to clear her it of whatever random thoughts lay in it. "You don't need anymore distractions, Setsuna." She scowled herself, starting to walk down the hall. "You already have enough . . ."

"Like what, Konoka's butt? You stare at it enough." a voice snicked suddenly, making her jump. "D- do not!" Setsuna defended, reaching for her sword as she glanced around warily. Surprisingly, she didn't see anyone . . .

"Yo, down here lover girl!"

Setsuna blinked, confused, but she glanced downward. She nearly face-palmed . . . again. An ermine smiled up at the swordsman, his tail twitching slightly. "Wassup?"

Setsuna sighed, letting the hilt of her sword go. "Chamo, what do you want now . . . ? And what's with the weird nickname?"

Chamo shrugged – if that was even possible– as he lit a random cigar. Where he got it from, Setsuna didn't have the slightest clue. "Well, I'll answer you're first question. Asuna kicked me out for the time being." he sighed, blowing out some smoke. "She gave me a half-hour long lecture before tossing me out the door. She literally picked me up and tossed me outside. The she slammed the freaking door in my face . . . my nose still hurts . . . "

Chamo rubbed his nose with his free hand, er, paw with another sigh. Setsuna knew she might regret this, but she asked anyway. "So, why did Asuna kick you out?"

Chamo blew out another puff of smoke as he looked up at her calmly. "I think she said it was something about me making Konoka uncomfortable or whatever. I didn't really pay much attention."

Setsuna ground her teeth as she resisted the urge to cut this ermine into two. "What did you do to make Ms. Konoka uncomfortable?" She asked, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. For some reason, she could feel a slight headache . . .

"I said something about her underwear, probably. But, I think it was because I was teasing her about you." Chamo replied with a laugh.

Setsuna's head snapped up suddenly. "You . . . what?"

Chamo's broad grin instantly made her regret the question. "I was teasing her about you. She just kept getting redder and redder and redder! Which brings us to your second question." his grin widened, causing her to grip her sword's handle again. "Do you remember anything from when the darkness caught you yesterday?"

Setsuna's grip relaxed, but she didn't let go of the sword. "N- no . . . why?"

"First off, you said some hurtful stuff to Konoka. You should really apologize." He replied, breathing out some more smoke. "Second, I called you lover girl because you said-"

He was cut off by a fast-paced, high-pitched ringing. He pulled out a small cell-phone from some random, hidden place. Again, Setsuna had no clue. "Well, that's my cue! See you later, Setsuna . . . I'm going to where no ermine has ever dared to venture before – Haruna's panties drawer!"

With that, the ermine scrambled away quickly and quietly. "Pervert!" Setsuna called after the rodent. "Hey, what can I say? An ermine's gotta live!" He shouted back, before disappearing from her sight. "He's a dead ermine walking." She shook her head as she glanced at her surroundings. Konoka's room was only a few more doors down the hall. The swordsman slowly made her way to the door, swallowing nervously.

She raised her hand to knock, but she stopped herself short. What if Konoka was sleeping at the moment? It would be rude of her to wake her up. Plus, Asuna did have a job, so she needed her rest. Also, Negi was still a child, so he **did **need to rest up. He would need all his strength to run away from the students of class 3-A.

Setsuna smiled slightly as she took a hold of the door's knob. _**'Please be unlocked . . .'**_

__The swordsman took a deep breath, and she tried the door . . .

It opened with no problem. The swordsman gave a sigh of relief before stepping into the room. Setsuna hesitated for a moment as she got used to the sudden darkness. When she did, the swordsman ventured further into the room. _**'Jeez, trespassing. What have I come to?' **_She thought, rolling her eyes.

She searched around for a table to set the letter upon, and she wasn't disappointed. There was one right in the middle of the room.

She quietly made her way over to it, glancing up at the bunk-bed Konoka and Asuna shared. Negi, yet again, had crawled into the bed with Asuna, and the girl was hugging him like a teddy bear. Both seemed completely at peace – for now. Later on, Setsuna was sure there would be **plenty **of screaming. _**'I wish you the best of luck, Negi . . .' **_She thought, shaking her head.

Turning her attention to the bottom bunk, she noticed Konoka had managed to fall halfway out of bed. She must have kicked the blanket off first, because it was sitting on the floor, and her head was resting upon it. She murmured something that sounded a bit like 'big, scary dog' before shifting slightly.

Setsuna shook her head sadly. "I really do have to protect you, don't I Ms. Konoka?" She laughed. "You can't even manage to stay in bed."

Setting the letter on the table, Setsuna made her way over to the sleeping Konoka. She gently lifted the girl into her arms, smiling as she did. _**'Ms. Konoka really is cute . . .'**_

She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "You're going to catch a cold if you sleep on the floor, Ms. Konoka. You should really stay in bed."

She frowned, realizing she had spoken her thoughts aloud._**'I really need to think before I say something.'**_

__She sighed, once again, before squeaking in surprise as a pair of arms wrapped around her neck. She quickly looked down, shocked to see a pair of chocolate brown eyes staring up at her sleepily. "I'm sorry, Se-chan . . ." Konoka murmured, snuggling up against the swordsman. "It won't happen again. Promise."

Setsuna felt her face grow warm, and she knew she was blushing. She hadn't been called by that name since she was a child. "K- Konoka . . .?" She stuttered, feeling her face grow warmer with every passing second. The girl only responded by tightening her grip on the swordsman. Setsuna bit her lower lip, unsure what to do.

_**'What do I do? I have to be at Evangeline's really, really soon . . . and Ms. Konoka's hanging onto me . . .'**_

__"Ms. Konoka, I need you to let go, okay?" Setsuna mumbled. "I have to go."

"Don't go." Konoka protested softly. Despite what she just said, her grip on the swordsman loosened. Gently, Setsuna laid the girl back onto the bed. "I'm sorry. I have to, if I want to get stronger. If I'm stronger, I can protect you better." She whispered. Picking the blanket off of the floor, she pulled it over Konoka and tucked the edges around the girl.

"I'll take my leave now." Setsuna stated, brushing a strand of hair out of Konoka's face. "Very well . . . Good night Se-chan." She replied, now snuggling into the pillow.

Setsuna smiled. "Good Night, Konoka."

**Chamo POV**

Chamo quietly made his way across the carpeted floor of Haruna's room. "They said it could never be done . . ." He snickered. "But I made it."

He quickly spotted the destination of his intentions, resisting the urge to jump with glee. Finally, he would make legends, for no ermine has ever dared to do this before! He would venture to where no man, woman, or child has ever gone!

"Finally, I've finished my quest! I claim this territory for us ermines!" Chamo yelled, forgetting he was in a room of sleeping girls. Launching himself onto the top drawer of the chosen dresser, he chuckled. "Now, I just need to open you . . ."

He tugged on the handle, and . . . it wouldn't budge.

"W- what?!" He tugged on it again, as he began to feel really nervous. No matter how much he pushed or pulled on the drawer, it just wouldn't budge. "Maybe it's locked . . ." He muttered, looking around. "Where are you . . . here key, come to papa!"

He jumped down from the dresser before poking his head under it. "Where are you . . .?"

A low chuckle mad him freeze, and his blood ran cold. Slowly, he turned around. Haruna was standing there, her eyes narrowed with suspicion, but she smiled like a mad man. Her grin widened as she held up a single key. "Looking for something?"

_**'God help me!'**_

**Konoka POV**

"Jeez, First Asuna leaves for overtime at work, and now Setsuna's left me for extra training. Plus, Negi had to leave at the same time as Asuna. Why am I getting left behind?" Konoka sighed. She stared at the ground sadly as she pushed open the dorm's door. She instantly shivered from the sudden cold. "I just wanted to walk with Setsuna." She mumbled. Pulled her coat around her tighter, she closed the door behind her.

"Ma'am."

Konoka squeaked in surprise at the sound of a voice. She quickly looked over her shoulder to see a man with blonde hair and blue eyes hold out his hand to her. He smiled warmly at her before continuing. "May I walk you to school, Miss?"

***** And, the end. I know my chapters can be a bit rushed, so I tried to slow this one down a bit. Tell me what you think. If it's really negative, then um . . . don't say anything, okay? 'cause I'm really easy to bring down, guys. Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed. If you have any questions/ideas, PM me. Well, buy then. ~Angel981 *****


	5. Chapter 5

****Setsuna****

Setsuna grinned as she slipped her sword from its sheath before allowing the tip of it to rest in the dirt. She knew the duel wasn't far away, but she felt perfectly at ease – even if she was about to be harmed.

Evangeline had a grin to match hers, but it held more of a 'I'm going to kill you' vibe. The vampire's eyes were a bit more enlightening, for they held a joyful aura about them. "I've already told you this once, girl." The vampire sighed, sweeping one side of her hair behind her ear. "You can't beat me."

The swordsman shook her head as she propped herself up against the weapon. "Prideful as ever, I see. But, when are you ever gonna learn the truth? It's **you **who can't beat **me**, Eva."

The vampire frowned, her cheeks tinting slightly pink, and her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What are you talking about?" She growled, making a slight twitching motion with her hand.

Setsuna, instantly understanding what the motion meant, swiftly brought her sword up to block the oncoming robot. Almost immediately, Chachamaru's arm came down upon the sword with such a force, Setsuna nearly lost her footing. The robot expression showed a mixture of shock and admiration. Setsuna grin mischievously at the robot as she managed not to get crush by Chachamaru's strength. "I won't lose." the swordsman laughed. "Not when I have something to fight for."

****Konoka****

Konoka studied the man who was accompanying her on the walk to school.

He wore a pair of black, weather-sturdy boot that somehow looked both old and new at the same time. A pair of thick blue jeans kept his legs warm from the biting cold, and a black, leather belt kept them from falling. A gray, button-up shirt was tucked neatly into his jeans, making him have a slightly sophisticated look. He also wore an unbuttoned, black, leather coat that looked a few sizes too big for him, even if he was kinda tall. A simple, brown satchel bounced on his side as he walked, and his hands were stuffed in the jacket pockets.

He had chin-length, light blonde hair that stuck out at odd angles, leaving it slightly messy looking. But, for him, it seemed natural. His sharp, yet soft blue eyes seemed to be scanning the road ahead of them, as if to search for danger. He had a very faint beard that only complimented his features more. The corners of his mouth upturned slightly as Konoka heard a quiet huff of laughter.

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer." He asked, turning his gaze from the road and to hers. "S- sorry!" She stammered quickly, feeling her face grow warm with a blush. She averted her eyes to the ground as he chuckled. "It's quite alright." He sighed. "I mean, you have no clue who I am or anything. I can't blame you for feeling a little cautious, Miss."

Konoka gave a small laugh herself, as she felt a little more at ease from his comment. "Yeah, it's just like what they taught us in grade school –"

"Stranger danger?" he asked, interrupting her with a smile. She laughed again, surprised at his comment. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Lucky guess." he replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

They were in town now, and the school was only two blocks away. She had gotten more comfortable with his presence, and he turned out to be a pretty nice guy. Interesting enough, he had a lot of knowledge about the medieval ages. At the current moment, he was telling her about a lone knight from that era.

"This knight had no use for horses, money, or even fellow knights." he began. "He was kind, wise, and selfless. People said that his heart was so big, that not even king Arthur could compare to his deeds."

"Wow, he must have been a really nice guy." Konoka interrupted. "He was, indeed, very kind." he replied, smiling. "Now, his clothes looked much like what a ranger or sorcerer would dress in. They were of his own style, of course. He wore brown, leather boots; worn, leather armor; and a cape that was said to be blacker than night. He had no helmet, but, instead . . ."

He slipped a gloved hand into the satchel before pulling out a single item. It was a black half-mask that was decorated with small, silver stars and a silver dragon that weaved its way from over the bridge of the nose, to around and above the right eye. Slipping it onto his face, his smiled broadened slightly. "He wore a half-mask that looked exactly like this one here."

"Wow!" Konoka exclaimed, astonished. "How do you know all of this?"

He shook his head and 'tsk'ed. "One never reveals his secrets. May I continue, please?"

She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. "Gomen." She apologized. "Don't be." He replied. "Now, this particular knight was the quickest, the strongest, and the most clever of them all. He was also the most loyal. Whenever he was given a quest, the knight would complete it quickly and thoroughly. He made sure that it was done, no matter how difficult."

The man laughed. "He was truly a man to be admired . . . but . . ."

"But?" Konoka questioned, urging him to continue. "But," He continued on with a wry smile. "His fellow knights were jealous. They were tired of always coming second, so they plotted of a way to destroy him."

She was speechless. This story obviously had a twist of its own. Why would anyone want to kill someone so selfless? "They plotted and plotted . . . and, finally, they came up with the perfect solution. Three days after they perfected the plan, Sir John Leroux walked up to the lone knight. He bared news of an important quest the knight must go upon. It was the most important of them all. Every man who had gone before him had died. It was imperative that it was completed, or so he was told at the time."

The masked man fell quiet for a moment before continuing on once again. "He never returned."

"Th- that's terrible!" Konoka exclaimed, tearful. She quickly wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her winter jacket. "H- he didn't die, did he?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Months passed, and the king grew worried. Finally, he just gave up on the knight. A sword was placed in his armory to honor the so-called fallen knight. It bared two things upon the front of the blade. His symbol –" He tapped the dragon upon his mask. "And his name. Upon the back, it bared a saying about him. It read – he was one of the night sky, a star in the evening that burns out during the day. He was the silent night breeze that slowly cools you. He was, The Black Knight."

" . . . wow . . ." Konoka breathe, shocked. "He was really loved, wasn't he?"

The man nodded in response.

"But . . . How do you know –" Cutting herself off, she gave a squeak of surprise as she tripped over something. Almost immediately, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, suddenly stopping her decent. "H- hey!" she stammered, her face growing red. She looked over her shoulder and found herself staring into his soft blue eyes. He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Hey."

Making sure she was balanced, he slipped his arms from around her waist. "If you hadn't noticed yet, we're at your school." He chuckled. Konoka glanced around, baffled to see that they were at the school. And, the item she had tripped over was the first step. Boy, did she feel like an idiot.

"Well, if you need me, I'll be going now." The man sighed, turning away from her quickly. "I might be back to walk you home."

"W- wait!" Konoka called, making him glance over his shoulder. "What is your name? I'd like to know. Mines Konoka"

He smile, turning to face her again. "It is a pleasure, Miss. Konoka."

He dropped to one knee, as a knight would, before replying. "My name, Miss, is The Black Knight."

**** Setsuna ****

Everything was blurry and disorientated, and the only shapes she could make out were blobs. That wasn't very helpful at the time. She also could hear voices. Two, to be exact. She couldn't exactly make out what they were, due to the fact that her ears were ringing **really **loud.

Setsuna groaned and rubbed her pounding head. She felt like a freight train had hit her! After a few more minutes of being curled in a ball, she managed the single out the sound of Evangeline's laughter. "Hey, leech, just what the Hell happened to me?" Setsuna growled, managing to sit up. Her vision cleared, and she was rewarded with the sight of Evangeline smiling smugly at her. Scratch that – she was cursed with the sight of the vampire smiling at her.

Either something was **really **funny, or something **really **bad happened. Well, or a combination of the two.

Suddenly, something cold and wet was pressed up against the side of her cheek, making her yelp. "Water?" Chachamaru asked. "You don't have to ask twice, Chachamaru!" Setsuna replied, gratefully taking the glass. "Only, you didn't have to do that."

"Gomen, Setsuna." The robot apologized. Setsuna waved off the apology as she gulped down the water as quickly as she could. When she finished, she set the glass down with a sigh. Chachamaru immediately picked it up and left the room. Setsuna could only hope the robot was getting more.

"So, I'll ask once again. **What the Hell happened?**" She growled. Evangeline laughed, shaking her head at the swordsman. "You got your ass kicked by Chachamaru and me."

"W- what? Even after my beautiful speech?! Aww, come on!" She groaned loudly, combing her fingers through her now untied hair. "And," The vampire continued, drawing out the word slowly. Setsuna suddenly felt really scared. "A- and?"

"And," The vampire stated again. "I took advantage of you while sugar plums, fairies, and whatever else danced around in your head."

"W- what?!" Setsuna yelped, her face growing red. "Evangeline, if you didn't know this already, taking advantage of me in my sleep is considered ra-"

"Not like that!" Eva interrupted, turning her head away as her cheeks flared pink. "I only sucked your blood!"

"That's a relief." Setsuna sighed, feeling calmer. Of course, this sense of calm had to be shattered, thanks to Eva. Boy, did that girl did **not** know how to shut it.

"Don't worry," The vampire grinned. "You're still a virgin."

"E- Eva!" Setsuna whined pitifully, her face turning even redder than before. "For now, anyways." Evangeline laughed, enjoying her momentary tease of the swordsman.

"Just shut up." Setsuna muttered, pushing herself to her feet. "If you need me, I will be tending to Ms. Konoka."

"Wait, girl." the vampire growled, grabbing the swordsman wrist. "Your training isn't finished."

Setsuna slowly dragged herself through the school hallway and towards the indoor food-court. Damn, she was **starving**. Not only because she skipped breakfast, but, also, Eva literally just had her run **ten **laps around the **entire **school – while carrying her,Chachamaru, **and **littleChachamaru-zero. Setsuna thought the doll as cute when she first met her, but she turned out be both blood-thirst and annoying as Hell. The doll wouldn't shut up! She kept jabbering about 'the Romans' and how 'they had it real fun' – The **entire **way.

And to make things worse, Eva had sparred her right before she had the swordsman run laps. Now, when Setsuna said she had her ass kicked, that was putting it very lightly. Every time Eva pulled some stunt or trick, she fell for it;It was quite embarrassing. She was constantly tripping over her own feet, and that was even more embarrassing. The swordsman suspected it had something to do with Evangeline using her as a snack.

Anyway, bottom line – Evangeline pretty much put her through Hell, and she burned **a lot **of calories. End of story.

Sighing as she listened to her stomach growl, Setsuna continued to make her way through the crowd. "Oh jeez, what is it? Pizza day?" She muttered. Sighing, once again, she took a quick glance around the court. Spotting a frantically waving Asuna, she made her way over to her.

"First things first." Setsuna stated, dropping her bag right next to the violent girl. "Where is Ms. Konoka, and what are you eating?"

Asuna rolled her eyes as Setsuna took a seat across from her. "I'll tell you now, no. I'm hungry today, so **I'm **eating my eating my own food. Got it?"

"Fine." She replied, groaning as her stomach growled loudly. "But, what else am I suppose to eat? I forgot to pack a lunch today!"

"Well, you can't have mine, so buy your own!" Asuna growled back, bringing her sandwich closer to her body. Setsuna blinked, baffled. "I didn't think about that."

Asuna rolled her eyes once more at the swordsman before taking a bite of her turkey sandwich. "Wrell, fwhat are youf vwaitin fo?" She asked, her mouth full of food. "Asuna," Setsuna sighed. "don't talk with your mouth full!"

"Gomen." The girl apologized, after swallowing her bite. "I asked, 'Well what are you waiting for?'"

Groaning as her stomach growled once again, Setsuna let her head drop onto the table. "I can't, I left all my money in the dorm."

"Well, that's just plain stupid." Asuna muttered, taking another bite of her sandwich. "How are you gonna eat now?"

Lifting her head up off the table, the swordsman looked up at the Asuna hopefully. "I'm begging you, now. Please, Asuna. Feed Me!"

The red-head only stuck her tongue out at the pleading swordsman. Letting her head drop back onto the table, Setsuna groaned once more. "Damn you Asuna! You're a fucking bitch."

Almost instantly, Setsuna heard a startled gasp. "S- Setsuna!"

Her heart nearly stopped in its track. That wasn't Asuna's voice . . .

It was Konoka's. Setsuna quickly looked over her shoulder, hoping she had misplaced the voice. She didn't . . . meaning Konoka had heard the swordsman curse.

**'Sh- shit . . .' **the swordsman smiled nervously. "Ms. Konoka . . . Long time no see!"

"Setsuna." The girl stated, her voice sounding more like a question. Getting to her feet, Setsuna bowed. "Y- Yes?"

"Can you explain to me why I heard you curse a moment ago?" The girl asked, a dark aura surrounding her. "W- well, um, I . . . Asuna . . . er . . ." Setsuna stammered, unsure how to finish. "Setsuna here was just angry at me, 'cause I wouldn't feed the girl!" Asuna interrupted quickly. "R- Really? You wouldn't feed Se-chan?" Konoka asked tearfully. "Poor Se-chan, you must be starving!"

"You have no idea." Setsuna muttered, too low for the girl to hear. "Well, I guess I can let this one slide . . ." Konoka hummed thoughtfully, causing Setsuna to sigh in relief. "But only if you let me feed you all the yummy soup I made you, Setsuna!"

Feeling a sudden tug on her arm, Setsuna stumbled forward. "B- but . . ."

"No buts! Sit." Konoka ordered, pushing the swordsman into the chair. The girl pulled up a chair next to her and sat down, digging through a small bag. This gave the swordsman a clear view of her friend.

It was nothing new, just the school's usual uniform – skirt, vest, short-sleeved shirt, tie, but no jacket. Setsuna guessed it was because of how warm it was in the school. But, that wasn't what bugged her. What bothered her was the band-aid on Konoka's cheek. Had she hurt herself on the walk to school?

"Ms. Konoka?" The swordsman turned her body so she could face her friend. "Hmm?" The girl hummed, not taking her attention off the bag. Setsuna paused unsure whether to continue or not. **'You might regret asking . . . Maybe I shouldn't.'**

"Ah-ha!" Konoka exclaimed, pulling out a small, silver thermos. "Found you!"

The girl bounced happily as she poured some kind of soup into the thermos lid. "Konoka?" The swordsman questioned again. This time, Konoka did turn her attention to her. "Yes, Setsuna?"

"Ms. Konoka, why do you have a band-aid on your cheek?"

The usually enthusiastic girl hesitated momentarily as a look of fear and uncertainty passed through her eyes. "Here, Se-chan! Try some of the parsley soup I made you." She replied, avoiding the swordsman question. Setsuna frowned. "Konoka, why are you avoiding my – Mmph?"

She was cut off in mid-sentence as a spoon was forced into her mouth suddenly. "Bad Setsuna! I told you to eat the soup, not talk!" Konoka frowned. "Now shush while I feed you."

Setsuna felt a blush creep across her face as Konoka pulled the spoon back to scoop up some more of the parsley soup. Swallowing the bit that was in her mouth, the swordsman barely had time to protest before Konoka forced another spoonful of the creamy soup into her mouth. Asuna, of course, laughed at this. "Way to shut her up **and **make her eat celery, Konoka!"

Ignoring her, Konoka got another spoonful of soup. "Say, 'Ah!' Se-chan!"

Setsuna felt her blush grow as she protested. "I can feed myself, Ms. Konoka . . . You don't have to feed me."

Konoka pouted, turning her head away from the swordsman. "Se-chan doesn't like it!"

"N- no! I love your soup! I- it's delicious!" She replied quickly, waving her hands in front of her body frantically. Asuna laughed again, causing the swordsman to glare at her coldly. Asuna quickly stopped laughing at her friend. "You really do?" Konoka asked, bringing Setsuna's attention back to her. "You really like it?"

"Of course I do, Konoka." Setsuna murmured. "You're the best cook I know."

"Really?" Konoka asked. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes." the swordsman replied truthfully. A smile quickly graced Konoka's face as she giggled and scooped up another spoonful of the soup. "Then, would you like some more?"

"Of course I would." Setsuna replied, smiling. As the swordsman leaned down to meet the spoon, she noticed the edges of a white bandage sticking from under the girl's sleeve. Fear immediately struck her heart. Ignoring the spoon that was held up for her, Setsuna gently, but firmly took a hold of the other girl's arm. "Konoka . . .?" The swordsman said in a questionable tone. There was no reply.

Setsuna gently raised the shirt sleeve so she could see the bandage better. "What happened to you?"

The swordsman felt the girl quickly pull away from her as she hastily stood up to her feet. "I- I have to go, now . . ." Konoka stated. She held the same look in her eyes from earlier, when Setsuna had asked about the band-aid. Fear and uncertainty.

With that, the girl hurried off towards the door. Instantly, Setsuna turned towards Asuna. "What happened to Ms. Konoka?"

Asuna quickly picked up her unfinished lunch. "I'll be with Ayaka if you need me."

"Asuna, wait!" The swordsman exclaimed. "Please, tell me what happened to Ms. Konoka."

The girl paused momentarily as she bit her lower lip nervously before replying. "You."

** Next Morning **

**'I can't believe I hurt Ms. Konoka . . . I don't deserve to be friends with a girl as amazing as her.'**

Setsuna sighed as she mentally beat herself down. She raised a hand to knock on Konoka's door, when she stopped short. What if Konoka didn't want to see her today? What if she was angry or upset? What if –

**'Shut up, Setsuna! It is your duty to protect her, no matter ****what, okay? So stop with all of this nonsense;If she's mad, then you will just have to take the punishment she sees fit.'**

Taking a deep breath, the swordsman knocked on the door. A moment later, she heard Konoka call out, "Come in!"

Setsuna released the breath, and walked into the room. She was immediately greeted with the sight of Konoka trying to pick up pine needles that were scattered around a tree. Setsuna blinked, confused. "Um . . . Ms. Konoka . . . question . . . Are you okay?"

***** Yay! Merry Christmas . . . er . . . almost! Anyway, thanks**

**Special Glossary-**

**Gomen = Sorry**

**Setsuna- "Konoka . . . What's with the giant tree?"**

**Konoka- "Silly, it's almost Christmas, remember?"**

**Setsuna- "Sh- shit! I forgot!"**

**Konoka- "Setsuna . . ."**

**Setsuna- " . . . I'm in trouble . . . aren't I . . .?"**

**Anyway, Bye! ~Angel981**


	6. Christmas Special! (Chapter six, guys)

**** Setsuna ****

Setsuna pressed her forehead against the shop window, peering in at the items. Christmas was tomorrow, and she still hadn't gotten Konoka anything.

Well, she hadn't gotten anything for Negi either.

Konoka, Evangeline, Chachamaru, Asuna, Negi, Chachamaru-Zero, Chamo, and her had gotten together and drawn names. As you can guess, she had gotten stuck with Negi. It's not that she disliked the boy, for she just wanted to get Konoka's name. But, even though she hadn't gotten Konoka's name, she would still get her a present. The only problem was – what? What should she get her? There were so many different things to buy or make, but Setsuna didn't know what to get!

It had to be the perfect gift – something Konoka would really, really appreciate. As for Negi, she'd just get the boy a small toy or something. It didn't really matter with him, because the boy was still a child. He pretty much liked anything – well, anything except spiders, snakes, bugs, and other creepy animals. In fact, she didn't really like those things herself, so there wasn't going to be any gag gifts from her this year.

Shivering at the thought of snakes and spiders, Setsuna slowly turned away from the shop window, letting her gloved fingers slide over the smooth, cool glass as she turned.

She silently made her way down the crowded street, weaving her way around both adults and children. There were a few people, here and there, singing songs of joy, family, and Christmas. Though, there was only one song she recognized, and that was "Silent Night". So, whenever she heard it, she'd just unconsciously hum along with the tune as she continued walking. All the while, though, her mind was off somewhere else.

_**'Ms. Konoka's been pretty down lately . . . even though it's almost Christmas.' **_Setsuna sighed. _**'She's tries to hide it, but I can tell something's really bothering her. She's not as . . . bubbly . . . as she would usually be.'**_

__She bit her lower lip, and she nervously ran her thumb over the hilt of her sword. If something was bothering Konoka, she would do **anything** help her. Whatever Konoka needed, the swordsman would be sure to take care of it. But, maybe the problem didn't lie within that area. Maybe it was something Konoka wanted – like some cookies or cakes. That would make a little sense, because the girl did enjoy eating sweets.

But, if she had wanted a sweet, she would've baked some. Konoka was pretty good with an oven. So, sweets weren't the reason.

_**'Think, Setsuna, think! Konoka's happiness is on the line. Is there anything she might have said or done to tell you what was wrong?' **_Setsuna ran her fingers through her chin-length, raven-black hair. She was in a hurry this morning, so she hadn't bothered to put it up. Sadly, having the wind blow through your hair doesn't feel as awesome as it sounds. It just make you cold, so never try it kids, that is, unless it's summer time. Then, it might feel as awesome as it sounds.

_**'Come on Setsuna! Your hair isn't the issue here, Konoka is! Think girl! Concentrate on –'**_

__Sadly, her thought were cut off by a high-pitched squeal that happened right as she tripped over something small. The first thing to hit the cement, of course, was her face. God in Heaven, are these injuries, both emotional and physical, ever going to stop? Please say yes.

Sadly, there was no reply.

Setsuna groaned as blinked away a few unshed tears. What? Just because she was a "big, tough swordsman" doesn't mean some things don't hurt. But, that also doesn't mean she was going to cry about it either.

Setsuna could also feel the gravel from the concrete ground digging into her cheek painfully. Also, she could feel something weighing down her right leg, while her left leg was propped on whatever was weighing down her leg.

Well, she now knew how Pokemon felt. She would never again scorn those cute, little creatures.

Groaning as she slowly pushed herself to her knees, she heard a gasp of pain sound from behind her.

"Sorry." She apologized, pushing herself to her feet. "Did I knock you down?"

She brushed off her shirt and offered her hand to the person, only, the swordsman was surprised to see a child. She was staring up at her, sniffling quite pitifully and on the verge of tears. The girl nodded before pushing herself to her feet, ignoring Setsuna's hand.

"Are you okay?" the swordsman asked, letting her hand drop to her side. The girl hesitantly shook her head 'No'.

"Well, what's wrong?" Setsuna asked her worriedly. "What happened?"

Again, the girl hesitated. She used her mittened hand to brush a few locks of snow-white hair out of her face before taking a deep breath. She exhaled slowly, before slipping the mittens off of her hands. The girl stuffed them into her jacket pocket before creating a series signs with her fingers. Setsuna could immediately tell the young girl was using sign-language.

The only problem was, Setsuna didn't have a clue to what the girl was "saying".

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Setsuna exclaimed. "Slow down, I don't know sign-language! Why not just talk?"

The white-haired girl shuffled her feet nervously as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She glanced from side-to-side, blushing slightly as she turned her gaze to the ground.

Sighing, Setsuna knelt down to her level, taking one of the child's small hands into her own. It felt almost as cold as the snow did. "You're _**freezing**_!" Setsuna frowned. "We need to get you somewhere warm."

The child shivered in response, but Setsuna didn't know if it was from the cold or the anticipation of getting somewhere warm.

She hope it was anticipation.

"Here." The swordsman mumbled, unbuttoning her coat. She quickly slid the clothing off of her and draped it around the shivering child. "Excuse me." Setsuna stated, lifting the child off of the ground. The girl replied with a barley audible squeak of surprise. The swordsman gently placed the girl onto her shoulders, doing her best to ignore the biting cold. "Hold on tight." Setsuna said softly as the girl's arms wrapped around her neck.

Setsuna tapped her index finger on the wooden table of the diner repeatedly as she carefully watched the child in front of her. The girl was quickly scarfing down half of a PB&J like it was the best sandwich in the world. Propping her elbow on the table, the swordsman leaned her head against the palm of her hand.

Finishing the sandwich, the girl reached for the cup of hot chocolate in front of her plate. She stopped short when Setsuna tapped the rim of the mug lightly. "Hey." Setsuna called over to her. "Take it easy. You'll get a stomach ache if you eat too fast. Plus, this stuff is **_really _**hot."

The girl nodded as she took a firm, but cautious, grip of the mug before blowing onto the liquid inside. Setsuna couldn't help but smile. "So . . ." She trailed off as the girl slow sipped her hot chocolate. "What exactly is wrong? Where's your guardian at?"

The child set the cup down onto the table with a soft 'thud'. Her fern green eyes scanned the ground, as if she suddenly found the floor amusing. Sighing, Setsuna leaned back into her chair. "I have all day, you know. So you might as well talk"

Hesitantly, the white-haired girl looked up at the swordsman, raising a hand to her throat as she shook her head in a no. Setsuna stared at the girl quizzically. "No? No what?"

Looking around, the girl grabbed a napkin, producing a worn-out ink pen from her jacket pocket. Curious, Setsuna watched the girl write something out onto the paper. After a few minutes of struggling with writing the letters, the child pushed the napkin over to the waiting Setsuna. On it, the words read –

No Voice.

Blinking in surprise, she looked up at the nervous child. "No voice? You can't talk? At all?"

Shaking her head in reply, the girl looked down at her feet, a blush spreading over her face quickly. "Well, what about you parents? Where are they? You shouldn't be all alone." She questioned. "How old are you anyway?"

Making a barley audible squeak, the girl's face saddened slightly. Silently, the girl slid the napkin back over to her. Again, she slowly wrote some thing onto it before sliding back over to the swordsman. This time, the paper read –

7

I'm an Orphan.

I'm all alone because no one wants a child like me.

Those last few words hit Setsuna like a stone.

No one wants a child like me.

She could remember thinking those same exact words when she was a child. But, now isn't the time to ponder on the past. What's done is done, as they say. Looking up at the child, the swordsman frowned sadly. "No one should be alone on Christmas . . . heck, no one should be alone at all." She said softly.

The girl nodded, wiping away a few tears with the sleeve of her purple jacket. **_'No one should be alone on Christmas . . .' _**Setsuna's thoughts echoed her words. **_'Maybe that's why Konoka's so down lately . . . She must be missing her family . . . especially little Yumi . . . Last thing I heard, her sister was really sick.'_**

****Leaning forward, Setsuna looked at the girl in front of her seriously. "So, would you like to spend Christmas with me?"

Setsuna was awake, but she didn't dare move a muscle. She was afraid of awakening the girl who had fallen asleep on her.

She didn't know how, or even when, the girl had crawled into bed – well, onto the couch – with her, but she was there, snuggled up against the swordsman. The girl's head was buried in the crook of her neck, and Setsuna could hear her breathing – slow, but steady. She was wearing a shirt the swordsman had given her to wear as pajamas, and, since she was about one fourth of Setsuna's size, it was pretty big on the girl. Suddenly, the child shifted slightly, causing a lock of hair to fall over her features, and her small hand tightened its grip it held of Setsuna's shirt. Hesitantly, Setsuna brushed the lock of white hair out of the girl's face gently.

When the two of them had "talked" last night, Setsuna had asked her for her name while passing her a piece of paper and pencil. The girl had ignored the pencil, instead using her old pen, and had written down –

It's been so long since anyone's asked me of my name or even said it. No one's really cared to do so. I can't remember.

She had an excellent vocabulary, and she could spell her words very well. When Setsuna had asked how, the girl had told her that her mother had been a school teacher. She had wanted her daughter to have a full and happy life, even with her disability. She had gone out of her way to make sure that her daughter was educated enough to be successful in life. Afterwords, the girl had pulled out a picture that was sitting in her jacket pocket.

It was a picture of a man, a woman, and a child. The man was wearing a black sports coat with a white, button-up shirt underneath, and he was running his hand through his short, dirty blonde hair. He held a relaxed look about him, and both his light green eyes and his broad smile shined with joy and Mischief. The woman was laughing, staring up at the man with joyful, brown eyes as a breeze slightly blew her white hair in front of her glasses. The child, who looked to be about three, looked as if she were laughing, for the woman was tickling her. She had long, snow-white hair and shining, fern green eyes.

So, the swordsman discovered that this girl was almost the sitting image of her mother, but, luckily, she had her father's eyes. That meant she had a bit of both parents with her.

Sighing, Setsuna combed her finger through the child's hair. "You don't have a name . . ." Setsuna thought aloud, breaking the silence. "What should I call you then?"

Setsuna pondered this as she continued on. "Everyone has a perfect name for them. It's something that fits there personality, their appearance, and attitude. But, what's yours?"

She thought about this a bit more, as random names she knew flew through her mind. None of them seemed to fit her. **_'Try thinking of some American names, since none of the Japanese names seem to fit her well.'_**

****Almost Immediately, one name popped up in her mind. It was perfect. Smiling Setsuna looked down at the sleeping figure of the small girl. "Selena."

**** Nodoka ****

** That Christmas Night**

Clutching the wrapped book to her chest, Nodoka looked around her room for any signs of Yue or Haruna.

Sighing in relief when she saw nothing, the girl slowly made her way into her room, stopping to set the present under the miniature Christmas tree Yue had bought. It wasn't much, but Nodoka knew that Yue really wanted to read this book. So, she had bought it for the girl.

Smiling happily at the thought of Yue happy, Nodoka turned around, finding herself nose-to-nose with Haruna. This of course, resulted in a very loud squeak of surprise as she fell backwards and onto her back. "H- Haruna!" She squealed, pushing herself into a sitting position as an obvious blush spread over her face. "You really scared me!"

Laughing, Haruna sat down beside her, setting down a present of her own. "I know. Where's Yue?"

As if on cue, the girl walked into he room, carrying a present under her arm and a juice box in her hand. "Hey."

Haruna grinned when she saw the girl. "Finally! We've been waiting for _**days!**__"_

Shrugging, Yue sat down as well. "Who cares?"

She took a sip of her juice as Nodoka managed to finally stop blushing so much. "Here, Nodoka." Haruna stated happily, pushing the present she had been holding earlier towards Nodoka. "Merry Christmas."

Smiling, Nodoka pushed her present towards Yue. "Merry Christmas, Yue."

Nodding, Yue pushed her present towards Haruna. "Hey. merry Christmas, pervert."

"Ow!" Haruna cried, covering her heart with her hand dramatically. "I'm not a pervert! I am just an artist of . . . certain things . . ."

"You're a pervert." Yue stated bluntly, sipping her juice again. "Now, open your gifts."

Nodoka picked the gift up and quietly started to tear the paper away. "You know," Haruna stated. "I was going to draw a picture of You and Negi Kissing, Nodoka, but I decided against it."

"Thank God, too." Nodoka muttered as she finished tearing away the paper. Yue and Haruna finished too, and they all stared blankly at their presents.

Each of them had given the other the same exact book.

**** Chisame ****

Chisame growled as she fixed the collar of her shirt. "I hate Christmas. There's too much joy. Everyone's so happy and givey blah, blah, blah, blah. Who cares? It's just a stupid holiday people!"

Sitting on her bed with a huff, she sighed and laid back onto the pillow, thinking. She might as well take a nap while she can. Some girls like to party on Christmas, ans that _**always **_kept her up. They always make so much noise! "Stupid bunch of them, that's what they are." She muttered, folding up her glasses and setting them on the bed beside her.

Almost immediately, someone knocked on the door. "Go away!" She shouted, pulling her pillow over her head quickly. "Santa isn't here! He's at the North pole stalking you all!"

She heard something like a 'tsk' and Chizuru's voice followed afterwords. "Poor, poor Chiu-Chiu. She's spending Christmas all alone, Natsumi!"

Chisame growled as she jumped to her feet and stomped over to the door. Throwing it open roughly, she was greeted with a smirking Chizuru. "Good Evening, Chiu-Chiu!"

"My name's not Chiu-Chiu, stop calling me that!" Chisame exclaimed. "It's Chisame!"

Waving away Chisame's complaint, Chizuru clapped her hands together. "Now, straight to the point! Natsumi, if you may . . ."

Nodding, the quiet girl cleared her throat before pulling out a small harmonica and blowing a short, sweet note on it. Chizuru pulled on a Santa hat and started singing. "We wish you –"

Chisame slammed the door shut and locked the deadbolt, doorknob, and the chain. She was_** not **_going to listen to _**any**_ Christmas caroling tonight. Growling angrily once more, she shouted, "**GO TO HELL!**"

**** Mana ****

Her gun laid on the ground next to her, forgotten. She wanted to use it so badly right now, but she didn't dare lay a finger on it in case she lost it. Zazie had put up a tree – a Christmas tree with blinking, colored lights.

"Damn it all!" She exclaimed. "She knows I hate colored lights! Especially the blinking ones!"

Mana growled in the back of her throat as she reached for her gun. "They look **_exactly_** like blinking targets . . . It's fucking annoying!"

As she tried to grasp the gun's handle, Mana's hand only grasped air. Surprised, she glanced down at where her gun should have been. It was nowhere in sight. Jumping to her feet, she exclaimed, "What the Hell?!"

"Mana." Zazie's voice cut through the air with a strange authority. Curious, Mana turned around and found herself face-to-face with . . .

A pair of light, caramel eyes . . . scruffy, floppy ears . . . that hung next to a drooling, happy face.

There was a dog in front of her face, and she couldn't be more shocked.

**** Zazie ****

Zazie watched Mana drop to her knees as she continued to stare at the dog Zazie was holding out. Tears filled the gunsman's eyes as she slowly reached out to pet the dog. "Take it." Zazie laughed, handing Mana the small dog. Squealing with delight, she snatched the puppy from Zazie's grasp and rubbed her face against its.

"You got this for me?" She asked, wiping away a tear. Zazie nodded, smiling. Setting the puppy aside, Mana launched herself at the half-demon, a wide grin placed upon her face. Squeaking in surprise, Zazie fell backwards, the gunsman falling on top of her. This was **really **different from Mana's usual attitude. "Thank you, Zazie!" Mana exclaimed, holding her friend in a tight embrace. "I love you!"

Zazie's heart literally skipped a beat. "W- what . . .?"

**** Setsuna ****

"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed, their jaws dropping open.

Sighing, Setsuna stroked the top of Selena's head unconsciously. The small girl's grip on the swordsman's jeans tightened as she buried her face in Setsuna's shirt with a quiet squeak of fear. Ever since they had come to the party, Selena had been pretty much attached to Setsuna's leg. At least the small notion showed that the girl trusted her. And, for some reason, the notion also made her feel all warm and happy inside – sorta like a mother.

She glanced down at the quivering girl as she ran her finger through her white locks reassuringly. "Hey, it's okay." She murmured. "No one's going to hurt you . . . If you exclude Evangeline from the equation."

"H- hey!" The vampire exclaimed. "I heard that!"

Turning her attention back to her friends, Setsuna suddenly raised her chin slightly. "This is Selena. I kinda . . . adopted her, in a way. She' kinda shy, so **be good.**"

She emphasized 'be good' as she glared over at a particular ermine and Vampire.

Asuna raised an eyebrow as she looked over at the swordsman. "How do you "kinda adopt" someone?"

"Yeah . . ." Chamo piped in, trailing off. Setsuna drew her hand from Selena's head to her own as she ran it through her short hair. "I kinda tripped over her in town. We talked, and so on. She doesn't have a home or family, so I decided to help her out until she decides to leave."

Silence.

That's all she heard . . . until someone walked forward, smiling. That someone was Konoka. Dropping to her knees in front of Setsuna, she reached out a hand to Selena for a handshake. The white-haired girl responded by hiding behind Setsuna.

"Selena." Setsuna mumbled, gently pushing the girl from behind her. "This is Ms. Konoka. She's a friend."

Nodding, Selena reached out and shook Konoka's hand shyly. Puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, Konoka stood up. "Se-chan, It's Christmas! Call me Kono-chan! If you wish, only for tonight."

The girl punched Setsuna softly on the arm, soft enough so she would hurt the swordsman. "Hai, Ms. – er . . . Hai, Kono-Chan." Setsuna stated with a bow. "And stop being so formal, Se-chan!" Konoka pouted. "loosen up."

"But I have to remain alert around you at all times." Setsuna argued. "I have to protect you, Kono-chan."

A small smile graced Konoka's lips as she replied sadly. "I know, but it'd still be nice. Just this one time? Please Se-chan?"

Konoka's chocolate brown eyes looked pleading and hopeful as she looked up at the swordsman. Biting her lower lip, the swordsman knew she wouldn't be able to refuse those eyes. That's why she usually avoided arguing with Konoka at all costs. "Fine . . ." Setsuna sighed, hanging her head in defeat as Konoka squeaked in joy. It wasn't fair;Konoka always used that look against her!

Allowing Konoka to tug her away from Selena, Setsuna suddenly found the floor _**very **_interesting. A blush was slowly creeping it was over the swordsman's face. She felt happy and yet flustered at the same exact time.

The reason why was, Konoka was holding her hand.

"Your hair isn't up tonight . . ." Konoka observed, snapping the swordsman out of a daze. She pulled Setsuna down, onto the coach spot next to her. "I like it. It's . . . well . . . different."

Fidgeting, Setsuna nodded. "I wanted to try a new hairstyle for Christmas." She mumbled. _**'Avoid looking at her, or you'll just start blushing even more.' **_Setsuna commanded herself. If she could avoid looking at Konoka, maybe she wouldn't be as agitated. _**'it's worth a try . . .'**_

her thoughts were interrupted when a box was dropped into her lap, making her squeal in surprise. "Merry Christmas, Se-chan." Konoka smiled. "I got your name when we drew. I hope you like it . . . If not, then I'm sorry."

Blinking in surprise, Setsuna looked from the box, to Konoka, and back to the box slowly. After a few moments of silence, she carefully untied the ribbon that was keeping the white box closed. Setting it aside, she slowly raised the lid of the box, smiling at the sparkly tissue paper that covered the gift. That was _**so **_like Konoka. Gently, she unwrapped the gift, her eyes widening in shock when she did.

It was a picture of her and Konoka when they were children. The child her was looking over at Konoka with a wild blush spread over her face as she was nervously gripping onto a handle of a wooden, practice sword. The child Konoka, however, was giggling happily as she held onto the forearm of Setsuna while giving her "bunny-ears".

Silence was all Setsuna could manage at the moment as she stared at the picture. This was taken years ago . . . How did Konoka get a hold on something such as this? As far as Setsuna knew, there was only one picture like this, and she had been sure it had been destroyed long ago. But, that would be a story for another time.

"Grandfather found it." Konoka explained, leaning her head onto Setsuna's shoulder as she stared at the picture as well. "He said it was one of the few things that survived the fire. It was really a miracle."

"B- but how?" Setsuna choked out. "I was so sure it was destroyed in the fire . . ."

"Hmm." Konoka hummed softly. "He doesn't really know how how. When he went to visit Dad a few years back, he found it. Ever since, it's been sitting in his closet or something. He found it back around in Fall. He'd forgotten to give it to me all these years."

Blinking back a few tears, Setsuna looked over at Konoka happily. "Th- Thank you . . ."

"No trouble at all, now go give your present to whomever." Konoka smiled, pushing Setsuna to her feet softly. Nodding, the swordsman handed her the picture. Will you hold onto this for me, Kono-chan?"

The girl laughed as she took the picture from the swordsman. "Of course."

***** Skipping to a few minutes later *****

"Negi, Merry Christmas." Setsuna stated, dropping a fedora onto the boy's head suddenly. "Sorry that I didn't have time to wrap it."

"That's okay, thank you Setsuna-san!" Negi smiled. "I always love a good hat."

Fixing his new hat onto his head properly, Negi made his way over to Chachamaru. Smiling, held out a small, wrapped box to her. "Merry Christmas to you, Chachamaru-san! I hope it's what you wanted. I know you like animals."

Setsuna blinked in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around one of her legs. Looking down, she saw it was Selena. "Oh!" Setsuna exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I nearly forgot yours, didn't I?"

Selena looked up at her in surprise before shaking her head in a 'no'. "Don't be silly" Setsuna laughed, ruffling the girl's hair. "Of course I got you something. Now, close your eyes."

With a sigh, Selena closed her eyes. Immediately, Setsuna grabbed a giant, stuffed bear she had placed on a random table earlier. It wasn't much, but it did look really cute. Setting the bear on the ground in front of Selena, the swordsman chuckled. "Okay, open your eyes, Selena."

Biting her lower lip nervously, the girl peeked open one eye and gasped. She quickly tackled the stuffed toy with a tight hug as she nuzzled it affectionately. "Wow." Setsuna laughed. "Glad you like it. Also, if you're hungry, just tell me, okay?"

Nodding Selena continued to hug the bear. Turning her attention back to Negi, she noticed Chachamaru was now wearing a pair of cat ears. "Do you like it?" Negi asked. "Haruna suggested I get it for you because of your love for small animals."

"Yes, I love it. Thank you, Negi." Chachamaru replied, blushing as she picked up a pie from the floor. Turning to Asuna, she held the pie out to her. "I didn't know what to get you, so I picked out this blueberry pie instead. Merry Christmas, Asuna."

"Th- thanks, I suppose . . ." Asuna stammered, blushing nervously. The robot bowed, before turning to Evangeline, who was calling her. Quickly, Asuna tossed the pie at Setsuna, who quickly caught it before it fell onto the ground. Puzzled, She looked up at Asuna. The girl mouthed, _'I hate blueberry! Give it to Selena.'_

Laughing, the swordsman nodded before setting the pie on a random coffee table.

Asuna then turned towards Evangeline, who was whispering to Chachamaru quietly. The robot was nodding quickly as she listened. Sighing the girl tapped the vampire on the head. "Hey, blood-sucker, I've got your gift here."

"My name's Evangeline, not 'Blood-sucker'!" Evangeline growled, her face turning a little pink. Shrugging, Asuna dropped a watch into Evangeline's hands quickly. "Who cares? Merry Christmas. I don't know if your a fan of twilight, but I took the liberty of getting you an 'Edward' watch, 'cause he's a vampire too."

Making something between a growl and a squeak, Evangeline looked away, blushing red. "**I** **am not **a Twilight fan, you Baka ranger."

Despite what she said, the vampire slipped the watch into her pocket. After she manage to get her blush under control, Evangeline motion for Setsuna to follow her.

Curious, she did.

**** Konoka ****

Konoka watched Chachamaru-zero and Chamo trade Christmas gifts.

"Merry Christmas, Albert." Chachamaru-zero stated, handing him a pack of cigars. "Their Cuban, I think."

"Thanks." He chuckled, handing her a knife. "It's sharp, so be careful not to cut anyone besides those you intend to murder in their sleep."

"Thanks!" Chachamaru-zero smiled. Sighing. Konoka looked away from the two, spotting Setsuna closing the front door behind her, Evangeline, and Chachamaru. When it closed, the only sounds she heard was the quiet sound of Negi and Asuna talking; Chamo and Chachamaru-zero talking; and Selena jumping up and down, trying to grab a random pie that was sitting on a table. "Here." Konoka murmured, giving the pie to the girl. "You could of asked."

The girl squealed happily as she set the pie down and signing something with her hands quickly. Konoka blinked, confused. "What was that?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"She said thanks." Asuna suddenly said, making her jump. Turning around, she spotted a smirking Asuna. "She's using sign-language." She explained.

Laughing, Asuna handed Selena a fork. "I saw her jumping after the pie."

"Well, how did –" Konoka was cut off short as Setsuna started swearing loudly from outside.

"_Get your Fucking hands off me, Bitch! I don't care if it's her Birthday, get that thing away from me!"_

"_Hold still!" _Evangeline shouted.

"_I said **NO!**_ _Go to Hell! Damn you! Get that shit out of my face! I am **not** wearing **that!**"_

"_Chachamaru." _Evangeline ordered.

"_Whoa! Chachamaru, get you hands off of- mffph!"_

The next thing Konoka heard was a struggle, and then, silence. The front door opened, and Evangeline walked into the house like nothing happened. "Chachamaru, come here." Evangeline ordered. "Yes, master." Chachamaru replied walking into the room, with Setsuna in her arms. "Drop her." Evangeline commanded curtly. "Yes master." She replied once more before tossing Setsuna onto the floor harshly.

The swordsman landed with a loud thud, and she growled loudly. Konoka quickly ran forward to see if she was okay, noticing her wrists were tied behind her back with a length of ribbon. Her ankles were tied together with a length of ribbon as well, and her eyes were narrowed in anger. She was now dressed in a pair of black, running shorts and a white half-shirt. "Evangeline, I'm going to kill – Itai!" Setsuna cut off short when Chachamaru tapped her on the head roughly.

"Setsuna!" Konoka gasped, kneeling down beside the swordsman worriedly. "Merry Christmas, Konoka. I forgot to buy you a gift, so here's Setsuna."Evangeline chuckled happily, waving her hand in the swordsman's direction. Laughing, the vampire walked away.

"D- don't look at me, Ms. Konoka, please! I'm wearing such a revealing outfit . . ." Setsuna mumbled, her face turning red. Konoka's breath caught in her throat as she realized this too. Damn, Setsuna looked **really **attractive. Konoka quickly looked away as she covered her mouth with her hand. _**'God, please don't let me be drooling.'**_

__Asuna quickly burst out laughing. "Jeez, Konoka, your face is even redder than Setsuna's!"

Squeaking in surprise, Konoka now realized she was blushing. "S- so what?" She stammered, blushing even more. "You're under the mistletoe with Negi!"

Asuna looked up, shocked. "What?!"

**** Setsuna ****

** ** later tonight ****

"Thanks for walking me home." Konoka sighed. "But, you didn't have to leave Selena there."

Shrugging Setsuna smiled. "She seemed to be having fun. At least one of us can understand her. I still can't believe Asuna can understand sign-language!"

Konoka laughed as well. "I know right?"

Grinning, Setsuna stuffed her hands into her coat pockets. After her 'incident' Konoka had helped untie her, and Selena had grabbed the swordsman's clothes off of the porch. Setsuna had wanted to run in the kitchen and kill the young vampire, but both Konoka and Selena hugging her had stopped her from doing so. Also, Asuna ended up kissing Negi, and Chachamaru had walked away, blushing. Anyways, later on, Konoka had gotten tired, so Setsuna had volunteered to walk her home. That brought us back to were we are now.

"Hey, um, Konoka?" Setsuna asked, a serious tone taking place within her voice.

"Kono-chan." Konoka corrected.

"Kono-chan," Setsuna mumbled, blushing lightly. "I know I didn't draw your name for a present, but . . . here."

Pulling a white envelope out of her jacket pocket, Setsuna handed it to Konoka shyly. "I know you've been missing your family, so . . ."

Konoka curiously opened the envelope.

"I got you and me a plane ticket to Kyoto, Japan." Setsuna smiled. "Merry Christmas."

Konoka looked from the tickets, to Setsuna, and back to the tickets, shocked. "Y- you got this for me . . .?" She asked. "Thank you!"

Shrugging, the swordsman continued to walk down the road. "It was nothing, really."

She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as Konoka smiled at her. "Well, all I got you was an old picture . . . what did you really want, Se-chan?" Konoka asked. "You granted my Christmas wish, so I might as well grant yours in return."

Setsuna froze as she stared down at her shoes. What did she want for Christmas? _**'Now that I think about it, there isn't much that I want . . . There's only one thing.'**_

__Swallowing nervously, Setsuna looked up to see that Konoka had stopped as well. Her chocolate brown eyes shone with curiosity as the swordsman turned towards her. "Close your eyes and I'll show you . . ." Setsuna trailed off.

Konoka blinked, confused. "Why do I have to close my eyes?"

"Please?" the swordsman asked, shuffling her feet. Konoka was silent for a moment before she answered. "Well, okay, Se-chan. If you really want me to, I will"

Almost immediately after she had shut them, she peeked open one eye. "Can I look now?"

Setsuna chuckled. "No, not yet."

Giggling, Konoka did as she was told. "Okay, Se-chan."

Taking a deep breath, Setsuna slowly leaned forward as she gently supported Konoka's chin with her hand. She could feel her heart picking up its pace. She had to force herself to breath steadily as it continued to pick up speed as she leaned in closer. She hesitated slightly, from her nerves, when she was only millimeters away from Konoka. Closing her eyes as her heart seemed to be hammering in her chest, Setsuna gently pressed her lips against Konoka's.

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, and, yet, the time also seemed too short.

Setsuna pulled away, not surprised to see Konoka staring at her, her eyes widened in shock.

"S- Se-chan?" Konoka stammered. Smiling as she turned away, Setsuna laughed. "I knew it was a stupid thing to try. I should of just ignored my feeling for you, Konoka, I should have."

"W- wait!" Konoka exclaimed. Setsuna's froze as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. "Wait . . ."

Setsuna said nothing as Konoka's grip on her tightened. "Se-chan . . ."

Setsuna could hear the tears in Konoka's voice, and she quickly turned around, causing Konoka to lose her grip on her. Dropping to her knees, Konoka wiped away a few tears on her sleeve. "Kiss me again . . ."

***** Aaaand, done! Whoo, 20 pages! Merry Christmas! *****

**Dictionary - Baka- Stupid, fool, or idiot**

**Hai- Yes**

**Itai- It hurts, or ow/ouch**

**Bye guys! ~Angel981**


	7. Chapter 7

That's what she wished would happen. Now, don't get her wrong. She did give Konoka those plane tickets, and she did kiss her . . . But . . .

Everything after that is what she **_wished _**would of happened. She **_wished _**she had the courage to laugh like it was nothing. She **_wished_** she had said something. She **_wished _**that Konoka had run after her.

But none of this had happened.

Only one thing had happened after she had kissed her. She had run away – crying. Konoka had only enough time to stammer, "Se- Se-chan?" before Setsuna had turned away.

"I- I'm sorry Ms. Konoka!" She had exclaimed, tearing off into the darkness of the night as tears started to roll down her face. She didn't know why she was crying or if Konoka saw her tears, but she didn't care. She just had to get away – away from the one girl she loved. But, no matter how far she ran, she knew it wasn't far enough. Still, she pushed herself on . . . because . . . because she was a coward.

Maybe that's the reason why she was crying.

**** Setsuna ****

"Selena, I'm home!" Setsuna called out, kicking the door shut behind her with a _'Slam!'_. Her arms were filled with take-out boxes and drinks, so she couldn't exactly use her hands at the moment. Hearing the soft '_thud, thud, thud!' _of footsteps, the swordsman wasn't shocked when Selena seemingly appeared out of nowhere and launched herself at her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Setsuna laughed, trying to not drop all the boxes in her arms as the white-haired girl attached herself to the swordsman leg. "Could you have at least wait until I got into the Kitchen?"

Shaking her head, the swordsman started to walk towards the kitchen with the girl still attached to her leg. "So how was your day, today?" Setsuna asked as Selena giggled. Of course, she expected no verbal answer from her. Pausing to set the few things she had in her arms on the table, the swordsman bent down and lifted the girl into her arms. Selena responded by wrapping her arms around Setsuna's neck and nuzzling her affectionately.

"Yeah, I missed you too." Setsuna laughed as she continued to make her way into the Kitchen. Quickly, Selena signed –

_**Take-outs again? Seriously?**_

Setsuna was able to understand her better, because she'd been practicing with Selena on sign-language almost every spare moment she had in the last few day. She learned all of the alphabet, but there was still a lot of signs she didn't know yet.

Laughing, Setsuna shook her head. "Of course it's take-outs again. I can't cook a meal that's worth shi- um . . . a litter box."

Selena grinned, giggling at the swordsman almost slip up. Opening a cabinet, Setsuna reached in it for a couple of glasses. "Coke?" the swordsman asked, glancing at the white-haired girl. Wrinkling her nose, Selena shook her head before signing –

_**Coke is icky!**_

__Setsuna rolled her eyes. "Says you, Now,"

Setsuna set Selena down onto her feet gently, handing her a couple of plastic cups. "Set these on the table for me, please, and I'll just get you some Ginger Ale."

**** Konoka ****

"What happened next?" Konoka asked, her eyes widening in fear as she unconsidered leaned forward. Over the few days she had gotten to know him, she'd always beg him to tell her a story of The Black Knight's past. He wasn't wearing his mask anymore, and she wasn't sure why.

Laughing, the man stopped pacing and pretended to pull a sword out of an imaginary sheath. Pointing the "sword" towards the ground, he continued. "Then, the woman pointed her blade at the The Black Knight's throat and stared him straight in the eye. Then, she spoke. **_'Finally, I get to meet the one and only Black Knight.'_**_ "_

His face shined with excitement as he started pacing again, sheathing his "sword" – whether unconsciously or consciously, she didn't really know. "Her Hazel eyes sparkled with excitement as her long, purple hair swayed in the wind slowly.**_'The one and only? Thou must be mistaken, for there are plenty of other Black Knights in this world. I am but one of many, then.' _**He replied. The woman smiled, pressing the tip of her blade against his throat slowly before speaking once again. **_'Not like Thee.' _**"

The man in front of her quit pacing and stared up at the sky wistfully. "The knight smiled and moved the blade away from his throat quietly. **_'Never once have I been beaten by a maiden. Thoust are truly one to admire, Milady. And, to add to Thoust's mystery, I can't see much hint to any muscle upon Thee's body. But, never less, Thou are quite beautiful. Thoust's eyes sparkle so excitingly in the sunlight, that it almost makes me forget why I came here, werewolf.' _**"

His grin widened as Konoka's gasped in surprise and leaned forward even more. "That's when the woman's grin widened, her pearly white fangs glistening in the sunlight, as a pair of orange-brown wolf ears and tail popped out from head and behind her. She sheathed her sword and placed her hands on her hips. _**'So, Thou has figured me out.' **_Her eyes now sparkled with sadness and her smile now wry. The Black Knight stood to his feet and watched the werewolf woman turn her head and stare up at the sky with only so much as a twitch of her ear. She continued to gaze up at the sky with those mournful eyes and bittersweet smile, and she finally spoke. _**'Thou has come to kill me, I assume?' **_She turned her gaze back onto the knight calmly as she ran her thumb over the hilt of her sword gently. _**'I have killed many in my day, because of my uncontrollable blood lust. I am nothing but a monster fit to die. I accept the fate Thoust has decided for me. I have only one request. **__**Allow me to keep my sword with me, even after I'm nothing but an empty corpse.' **_"

Konoka felt her jaw slacken slightly at the words of the woman as the man continued. "The Knight then drew his sword, and . . ."

Konoka then interrupted with a squeak of terror. "No! Don't tell me he killed her! She didn't do anything wrong on purpose!"

The man laughed at her sudden outburst. "Then I won't. I'll save the rest for later."

"But, why?" Konoka pouted. "Don't leave me in the blue, here!"

"But I thought you didn't want to know . . . Plus you can already infer what happened, can't you?" He frowned somewhat.

Her eyes grew wide with sudden terror. "He didn't . . ."

He shook his head sadly. "Your correct, I'm afraid. The Black Knight drew his sword and slowly made his way towards the werewolf woman. She continued to smile at him as he raised his sword, and . . . tossed it aside. He gripped both her forearms with surprising strength and kissed her. She, of course, was shocked, but . . . after a few seconds . . . she kissed him back. When he pulled away, she was crying. Whether they were a shock or happiness, he didn't know. _**'Never say such things about Thou's self again. Thou isn't a monster, and Thoust shouldn't give up live that easily. Live while Thee has youth and heart.' **_"

Konoka didn't know whether to sigh in relief or gasp from the sudden twinge at her heart. _**'They kissed . . . just like . . . me and Setsuna . . .'**_

__"**'Thou kisses a maiden without telling her his name?'**" He continued on with the story. "The woman's eyes sparkled with faint humor. _**'My name . . .' **_The Black Knight trailed off. _**'My name is Pyro, Milady. But I am know by the name Koori, for my Niece, for I have always wished to specialize in ice magic. What tis Thy's?' **_The maiden laughed. _**'Tis Soren, Pyro. Tis Soren.' **_"

"I suppose I'll have to call you Pyro now." Konoka stuck her tongue out at the man. "You name **is **The Black Knight, isn't it? So that would mean your name's actually Pyro."

He grinned at her mischievously. "True, Milady. So true."

Her own grin disappeared as a serious look overtook her expression. "Uh oh." He chuckled quietly. "Konoka suddenly has a serious expression. Are you finally using your brain?"

She punched him in the arm playfully. "I'm not a Baka Ranger. I just need to ask you a question . . ."

Rubbing his arm as he sat down, he nodded. "Okay, shoot."

"Have you . . . Have you ever been in love?" She asked, her face growing warm with a blush.

He stared at her for a moment before smiling painfully. "Twice, actually. The first time, I was married, but . . . she was stolen from me by a murderer. He ran his ran his blade through her stomach like she were another enemy, and a crazed smile was upon his lips as if it were nothing but a cruel joke. I- I tried to save her, but I was too late. He had tried to rid of me first and had almost succeeded, so I knew he would go after my maiden to hurt me emotionally instead of physically. But . . . They both died in front of my eyes that day, so I suppose that make me just as much as a murderer as him."

Konoka breath caught in her throat. "Th- that's horrible. I'm so sorry . . ."

"Don't be." He laughed, shaking his head. " . . . When you fell in love the second time around . . . " Konoka asked, looking over at him. "How did you know?"

He stiffened from the question. Staring at the ground, Konoka could see his eyes – distant and sad. He remained like this for a few minutes before replying almost absent-minded like. "From the smell of her blood."

It was Konoka's turn to freeze up.

"I knew from the smell of her blood, that I was in love . . . It smelled almost exactly like my wife's . . . like Soren's. Warm and Caring . . . Sad, yet Happy . . . Protective . . . and even a bit Demonic, you could say . . . But, Soren was outgoing, while this girl is shy and easily flustered. She too scared to chase the dreams she wants the most. And . . . When that girl first looked at me . . . I saw _**her **_. . . Soren . . . I saw her there. She had the same hazel eyes as my wife. She even looked at me the same, well . . . almost. It was the same look, but different . . . like how you cook something, and you know there's something missing. But . . . you can't figure out what's missing. That's how it is . . . That's how her look seemed. But, I know what was missing from it." He turned his gaze from the ground and to her. "All the passion and love was missing . . ."

Konoka stared at him, wide-eyed. "Her blood?"

He laughed nervously. "I let it slip, didn't I? Yes, her blood. I'm a Vampire . . . and yes, my real name would be Pyro."

**** Setsuna ****

_'toss' , 'smack' , 'toss', 'smack' , 'toss' , 'smack'_

Setsuna continued to repeatedly toss her hacky sack in the air and catch it effortlessly. But, she was also careful not to wake Selena, who was, again, curled up against the swordsman. No matter where the swordsman went or tried to sleep, the girl would always find a way to be near her. It wasn't that she minded, she actually thought it was really cute. In fact, it was adorable.

_'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack'_

"You know . . ." Setsuna trailed off. "I just realized how warm she is . . . But she's really cool at the same time. Sort of like a cool fire."

_'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack'_

Setsuna yawned.

_ 'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack'_

Her eyes drooped from the warmth of the child.

_'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack', 'toss', 'smack', 'bounce', 'roll'_

"Zzz . . ."

***** Dream *****

_The crackling and pops of a fire, the irregular breathing of her and Konoka, and the common sound of a wooden beam falling was all Setsuna could hear._

_"Se-chan, we have to get out of here!" The small, chocolate-haired child said urgently, pulling on the other girl's sleeve. Setsuna only responded by dropping to her knees as a fit of coughing wracked her chest. The smoke was so thick, she could barely see in front of her nose. Heck, she could barely see Konoka's worried face. "I- I'm sorry, Kono-chan . . ." Setsuna broke off into another coughing fit. "This is all my fault."_

_ Konoka remained silent as she wrapped her arms around the young swordsman and tried to pull her to her feet. The girl obeyed, climbing to her feet at a painstakingly slow rate. "If I hadn't gone back for that picture, we wouldn't be here right now . . ." She sniffled. "I'm sorry."_

_ "It isn't your fault, Se-chan. I'm the one followed you into here." Konoka voice was hoarse and scratchy from all the smoke. "You shouldn't blame yourself like that. Made the decision to come after you. If it's anyone's fault, it's more than likely mine."_

_ Setsuna shook her head as she took an unsteady step forward. "N- no . . . I take the blame. It's my fault, Kono-chan."_

_ She took another step and stumbled forward, falling onto the ground. She tried to push her self up, but she just ended up falling from her knees to the floor again. It was useless trying to do something she couldn't manage . . . so she fell limp onto the floor. Was this really how she was to go . . . leaving Konoka in the mists of danger?_

_ Her lungs felt like they were burning along with this home, only more so, and Her throat felt like the fire itself – dry, hot, and ablaze. "Kono-chan . . ." She rasped, bursting into yet another fit of coughs. Immediately, Konoka's arms encircled around her again, pulling up on her desperately. This proved to be futile, for Setsuna just stayed limp. "Come on Se-chan! Get up!" Konoka cried, her voice tearful as she fell to her knees. "Get up Se-chan!"_

_ "Kono-chan . . ." Setsuna said weakly, grasping onto her friend's shirt. "Get out of here. I'm a goner, and you will be, too, if you don't leave. I don't have the strength to get up, let alone walk."_

_ Setsuna heard a quiet sob sound from the girl, and then a sudden weight was crushing down upon her. "N- no . . ." Konoka cried. "I'm not leaving without you, Se-chan . . . even if it kills me . . ."_

_**'No . . . I've failed, haven't I? I've failed . . . And now Konoka might die along with me . . .'**_

___"No . . ." Setsuna whispered. "You can't die, Kono-chan. You can't . . ."_

_ "Then live. Get up and get out. Get us both to safety, Se-chan." Konoka sniffled. The girl then moved away silently as Setsuna proceeded to try and push herself up. She, again, fell back towards the ground, but . . ._

_ This time Konoka caught her._

_ She wrapped the young swordsman's arm around her neck, supporting Setsuna's weight upon herself. "Just leave me." Setsuna muttered, half-conscious. "I'm nothing but dead weight."_

_ Konoka shook her head, and ensured she had a good grip on the swordsman. "Never."_

_ Then, she started half walking, half dragging towards where the exit was located. "D- don't leave me Se-chan. Stay here, okay?" Konoka pleaded, breaking off into a fit of coughing herself. Setsuna only gave a slight groan as a response as she started to nod off._

_ "Se-chan!" Konoka nudged her harshly. "Wake up. You need to stay awake, okay?"_

_ "But, it's only going to be a small nap, okay? I promise it'll only be a couple of minutes, Kono-chan . . ." Setsuna trailed off. She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help it . . . she was too tired. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take just a small nap . . ._

_ "Se-chan!" Konoka jerked her awake again. "No, you can't go to sleep, okay?"_

_ Nodding, Setsuna did her best to keep her eyes open and not to fall asleep. But, it was no use . . . she still found herself slipping out of consciousness._

_ "S- Se-chan, I think I can see the smoke clearing . . . We're almost there. Don't fall asleep, please Se-chan. Please . . ." Konoka trailed off, coughing again._

_ Setsuna felt Konoka stumble and almost lose her balance. But, her friend regained it._

_ "I- I'm sorry, Kono-chan . . ." Setsuna whispered._

_Then . . .there was nothing . . . but all black . . . _

She blinked open her eyes, and winced at the bright light filtering through the window. "Ow . . ."

Sitting up, she rubbed her head gently. Her dream floated through her mind like a cloud floating on the wind, and she winced again.

That wasn't a dream – It was a childhood memory.

***** Later that day *****

"Okay, Selena. Be a very good girl for Aunty Asuna, okay?" Setsuna said, ruffling the young girl's long, white hair. She replied with a nod, leaning into Setsuna's hand.

"Wait a minute . . ." Asuna said, her expression darkening threateningly as her bangs hid over half her face. "Aunty . . . Asuna?"

The swordsman swallowed nervously as she took a step towards the door cautiously. "W- well, I had to find something for her to call you . . ."

"I'm . . ." Asuna grabbed a hold of the swordsman's shirt, dragging her closer to her. She lifted her head and looked at Setsuna, her light blue eyes filled with tears and a blissful smile spread over her face. "I'm an Aunty!"

She then threw her arms around the swordsman a proceeded to squeeze her so hard, she could swear she heard her ribs crack. "As- As- Asuna . . ." She gasped. "C- can't . . . Breathe . . ."

"Sorry." Asuna apologized quickly, letting the swordsman go. "My bad."

Setsuna brushed her self off, nodding. "Y- yeah . . . don't do that again, please."

Asuna nodded, stepping out of the doorway to hers, Konoka's, and Negi's room. Setsuna smiled and walked in, Selena following behind her.

"Oh! Setsuna, Selena. How are you?" Negi asked, clearly shocked. The swordsman laughed. "I'm fine. Hey, Selena, You haven't met Negi yet, have you?"

She pushed the girl forward gently, but Selena only squeaked and ran behind Setsuna again. Confused, she looked behind her at Selena. "What's wrong?"

The white-haired girl responded by signing something so quick, Setsuna had no time to comprehend what it was.

"No, it's okay." Negi waved it off. "She's probably not used to boys."

Nodding, Setsuna gave Selena's hair one last ruffle. "Well, thanks again. Remember, be good for Aunty Asuna and Negi-kun. Alright, Selena?"

Selena nodded again, right before Asuna scooped her into her arms suddenly. "Come on Selena! Lets fly away from that lil' ole' scary Negi!"

"Asuna!" Negi whined, his voice cracking.

**** Konoka ****

"I hate flying . . ." Konoka heard Setsuna mutter lowly next to her.

Konoka sighed, unsure what to say to the swordsman. She just didn't know what to say . . .

Things were just so complicated! She was in love . . . She wasn't in love . . . What was she?!

Konoka couldn't sort her feelings from her thoughts . . . She couldn't sort herself out. **_'Why can't things be easy like in the Manga books?'_**

****She sighed again.

Suddenly, she felt the plane tug forward, and she swear she could hear someone grinding their teeth. Blinking, She looked over at Setsuna.

The girl looked as stiff as a wooden board and tenser than she's ever been. She grinned at the scene. "Silly Se-chan! How can you be so scared when your Pactio card allows you to fly around? That doesn't seem to bother you much." She teased, whispered low enough so the other passengers couldn't hear. She was rewarded with a light blush. "Th- that's different . . . I can actually see where I'm going."

Konoka giggled, turning her attention back to the window. "If you say so."

After awhile, she was watching light, fluffy clouds pass by them slowly. She smiled, pressing her fingers against the airplane window. It looked so peaceful outside.

The sun was setting beautifully, and she wasn't sure if the clouds were purple, red, white, pink, or gold. Maybe they were all five.

Wow, it just looked . . . stunning.

Suddenly, a hand slipped into her own gently, entwining their fingers together. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she looked down at both hands sitting on her lap. Slowly, she looked up at Setsuna, who gazed back at her lovingly before blushing wildly and turning her head away.

But, she didn't remove her hand from Konoka's, and Konoka didn't remove her hand from Setsuna's.

She smiled happily, before looking back out of the window. **_'Defiantly in love.'_**

***** Yeah! Okay sorry for whatever I feel I should be saying sorry about. Hope you enjoyed. Credit to KAGEJASPER for helping me with the 'Aunty Asuna' bit! Please review if you liked it. *****

**~Angel981**


	8. Chapter 8

***** Selena *****

Selena giggled and watched Chachamaru flinch, yet again, before tapping the robot's ear lightly, once more.

The robot responded by flinching, of course, for about the twentieth time that day. She had been tapping Chachamaru's ear for the past five minutes or so . . .

She wasn't really sure.

Grinning, She tapped the robot's ear, again, watching her flinch. Correction, twenty-first.

Hearing a boy's yelp, she looked up curiously. Negi slid on his back and across the ground quickly, stopping in front of Chachamaru. Eva stood a few good seven feet away, inspecting her nails as if she were bored. "Is that really all you got, boy?"

Negi made a sound between a growl and a whimper before standing to his feet and dusting himself off. "No."

The young girl's head snapped up quickly, and her blue eyes narrowed in what was clearly anger. Selena knew the anger wasn't pointed towards her, but she still cringed, sinking down slightly as if she could hide behind Chachamaru's hair.

Evangeline twitched her index finger in Negi's direction, and the boy instantly flew back to the ground, as if he were nothing but a mere puppet.

Selena's eyes grew as wide in amazement. How did Evangeline do that?!

Negi groaned, his muscles twitching slightly as if he were trying to climb to his feet, but couldn't. Evangeline sneered at him disgustedly. "No, what?"

"M- Master!" Negi cried quickly. "No, Master!"

"Fine, that will do." With a huff, Evangeline turned to Chachamaru. "Chachamaru, make some tea."

Nodding, Chachamaru picked Selena off of her shoulders, setting her onto the ground, with a slightly relieved expression. "Hai, Master Evangeline. Selena-chan, please stay here."

Nodding, Selena signed -

_Hai, Chachamaru-san._

Chachamaru's mouth twitched upward slightly, as she turned and walked away. Selena watched her leave, feeling a small urge to follow her, but she didn't. Instead, she turned back to Negi and Eva's training lesson.

"Now." Evangeline yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "On with the lesson."

Negi hesitated, glancing over at Selena worriedly. "But, what about Selena, Master?"

Negi turned his worried gaze back towards Evangeline, giving a slight squeak of shock and fear. Evangeline was now standing nose-to-nose with him, ginning evilly. "Too slow, boy, too slow."

She pushed his shoulder lightly, and he flew backwards, screaming fearfully.

Selena's eyes widened in horror as he slammed into a tree. Evangeline merely snorted, turning away. "And don't worry about the brat. She should be too young to remember any of this anyway."

Negi slid to the ground promptly, wincing in pain as he peeked one eye open at Evangeline. "Yes, Master . . ."

Climbing to his feet, he shook his head slightly, as if he could clear away all the thoughts in his head. Negi took a leaping step forward, determination sparkling in his light brown eyes. He raised his staff, and Eva sighed.

Curious, Selena turned her gaze to the blonde girl. Evangeline muttered something under her breath, and the ground next to her iced over.

Selena tilted her head to the left, watching the ice curiously. The ice on the ground appeared . . . just like magic . . .

Selena suddenly felt a startling, yet comforting and familiar sparking sensation upon the ends of her fingers. The sensation was like lightning, but not quite as power . . . more like . . . the sparks of a starting fire.

Tilting her head, again, to the right, Selena stared over at Evangeline curiously.

_**'She's . . . She's a Vampire . . .' **_Selena thought, confused. _**'But . . . That's not all . . . She's also a . . . a . . . a mage – a magic user. She's in love with someone . . . but who?'**_

__Negi then shot past Evangeline, who dodged, and he slipped upon the ice that had appeared earlier. _**'He's also a mage . . . He's had a hard life . . . and maybe an even harder future. He's searched for something his entire life, but has only found it once before.'**_

__Selena didn't know how she knew all of these, she just . . . knew.

This happened from time to time – rarely, but it happened. That's how she had know she could trust Setsuna . . .

When it happened, she always learned random, yet important, facts about people. She never told any one about this – except one person.

Her Mother.

She told her mother everything . . . of course, not verbally. That would be impossible.

Her hand instinctively flew down to her jacket pocket, where she kept her pen and family picture.

The pen belonged to her father . . . when she had found it, well . . .

Selena flinched, not wanting to remember anything. The most she would . . . could think about, is picking up the pen as it rolled towards her, covered in blood as a crimson puddle grew rapidly at her feet . . .

But even that much was enough to give her horrible nightmares.

Shivering, she quickly withdrew her hand from her pocket.

She didn't need any nightmares.

Shaking her head, she continued to watch the match between Eva and Negi. Negi, once again, was picking himself off the ground as Evangeline laughed happily. "Try again, boy!"

Selena wasn't sure what Negi did next, for her attention was caught by something else.

Evangeline hid a hand behind her back, as she muttered something too low for Selena or Negi to hear.

_**'A spell.' **_Selena answered her unsound question.

Curiously, Selena watched as the air behind Evangeline filled with sparkles. They glinted and, well, sparkled in the sunlight that filtered through the dense foliage from above.

Slowly, the sparkles settled onto the ground, but she could still see a few glinting in the air. Well, being a child of seven years of age, and a naturally curious girl . . .

She decided to try and catch them.

Giggling happily, she stumbled towards the sparkled-filled air quickly. No one seemed to notice her, and she grinned.

Mirthfully, she jumped at one of the sparkles, trying to catch it by clapping her hands together around it. It pulled just out of her reach, drifting off to the right a little. Of course, she chased after it merrily.

Reaching out to grasp it, it drifted upward quickly. Grinning, she watched it, before her attention was snagged by another sparkle drifting left. Quickly, she grabbed after it, frowning as it, too, pulled away from her grasp.

Why were the sparkles pulling away from her hold?

Shrugging, she smiled and continued to chase after the sparkle, but . . .

After about the third step, the ground seemed to disappear from under her feet and the world seemingly turned upside-down.

Squeaking in surprise, she covered her eyes fearfully. Something yanked on her ankle roughly as she came to a sudden stop. Her heart thudded quickly in her chest as she peeked between her fingers.

She was a good ten feet in the air . . . upside-down.

Her white hair swayed gently as she did, too. Looking up quickly, she noticed that her ankle had somehow been caught by a visible . . . yet invisible string . . . that sparkled every time it moved into the sunlight.

So much for catching the sparkles, for they seemed to have caught her.

All of a sudden, she felt a hidden object drop out from the collar of her shirt. Of course, it caught by itself chain around her neck, but that wasn't what she was worried about.

There, dangling by the chain, swung a silver cross – well, sorta. It was silver, yes, but partially of it was dyed a faint crimson color, as if someone has decided to leave part of it in some paint for a long period of time.

Squeaking in fear, she quickly snatched the cross into her hand, to hide it from her own and the others view. No matter how much she hated this cross, she knew she would always love it . . .

"Ow . . ." Selena heard someone groan, and she looked up – well, down.

Negi was sprawled on the ground, his eyes closed in pain. He had a bruise on his cheek the size of a baseball. "Eva . . ." He murmured. "That really, really hurt."

Eva snorted, rolling her eyes impatiently. "Get your ass up, or there will be more where that came from, boy."

Negi sighed, peeking one eye open. "But I don't –"

Both his eyes widened as he sat up in surprise. "Selen–"

"Selena-chan?" Chachamaru called out, walking out of Evangeline's cabin. "Where are you?"

Selena sighed in relief. Her head was starting to spin from all the blood it was getting.

"Master, Chachamaru-san! I think I found her . . . but how did she get all the way up there . . .?"

Chachamaru and Eva both looked up at Selena curiously. Evangeline smile. "Oops. My bad. Chachamaru, catch her when she falls."

"Wait, what?! Master!" Negi exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet. "What are you about to do?"

Evangeline shrugged, walking away from him causally. "Get her down."

The vampire waved a hand in her direction, turning away so Selena couldn't see her face.

Instantly, Selena felt herself drop towards the ground suddenly.

Selena squealed in fright right as Chachamaru caught her in her arms quickly.

Giving an apologetic smile, she turned her gaze away from the robot shyly. "Selena-chan, I asked you to stay where you were." Chachamaru scolded gently, setting the mute girl down. Shrugging, Selena avoided her gaze as she signed quickly –

_I saw a bunch of sparkles, so I chased them, trying to catch them all. But, they ended up catching me . . ._

Both Evangeline and Negi turned their gaze to Chachamaru, their eyes lit with confusion. Apparently they didn't understand her.

"She recently saw Evangeline cast a spell, and got caught in it." Chachamaru explained, making them both 'oh' in understanding.

Sighing, Selena realized she still held the cross in her hand. Immediately, she stuffed it back under the collar of her shirt.

She didn't want **anyone **to see it, even herself.

"What I don't get," Evangeline muttered, peering over at Selena suspiciously, "is how she activated that particular spell, or even saw it. I set it up so only people with magical or demonic energy can activate it. It was **really** weak, compared to what I really can do."

Negi looked over at her as well. "Well, I don't see how she could have any demonic or magical energy. I can't feel any demonic blood stirring restlessly, and she hasn't set anything on fire or blown me away with any sneezes – for an example. I'm not sure how much she even knows."

All three of them continued to stare at her, and she shifted uncomfortably. Why were they staring at her like this? And, what were they talking about, anyway?

Demonic blood? Magical energy? Yeah, she now knew that magic is very real, but demons aren't, right?

_**'But, if vampires are real, then demons are possible as well . . .' **_she supposed. _**'I guess it's not such a small world, like others think.'**_

__"I have an idea." Evangeline said suddenly. "Selena, come here, and give me your hand."

_Hai, Evangeline-sama._

Selena signed quickly, stepping forward. Hesitantly, she allowed the vampire to take her hand into her own gently. Her blueish, purplish eyes shined with some kind of emotion Selena couldn't guess. "This may sting a little."

"Master . . .?" Negi trailed off, looking confused. "What are you –"

He was cut off by Selena's sudden squeak of surprise and pain.

Evangeline had bitten her finger!

She snatched her hand back, not noticing the look of surprise on Evangeline's face as she did. Inspecting her finger, the only sign of injury was a little blood smeared on it. Not very noticeable.

"You, my friend," Evangeline said lowly, drawing Selena's attention with her astonished tone of voice. "Have both."

***** Konoka *****

Setsuna groaned again, causing Konoka to pause in case the swordsman was going to be sick – yet again.

Do you know how they serve snacks on an airplane, sometimes? Well . . . Konoka had insisted Setsuna eat something, and, well . . .

Um, let's just say this: food poisoning.

"Gomen . . ." Konoka apologized for the seventeenth time that day. She had one of the swordsman's arms around her neck, supporting Setsuna's weight with her own strength. There were two . . . well, three . . . reasons for this. One, the swordsman's stomachache was nauseating her such a point, where it was hard to walk without doubling-over. Two, She couldn't walk five feet without getting dizzy and falling on her butt. (Well, maybe she wasn't **that **dizzy . . . )Three, Konoka just like being close to the swordsman.

**Her **swordsman.

"Again," Setsuna muttered. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who ate it."

"Yes it is." Konoka mumbled miserably. "I told you to eat."

Turning her gaze away, Konoka played with the sleeve of Setsuna's jacket sadly. "I hate seeing you like this. I feel useless, not being able to do anything for you . . . I hate it when you're sick or in pain, Se-chan . . ."

Setsuna laughed softly. "That makes two of us, then;I don't exactly enjoy being like this, Konoka . . ."

Konoka pouted. "Aww! Se-chan doesn't like me holding her?"

"Th- That's not what I meant!" Setsuna stammered quickly, her face flushing red. "Of course I like it when you hold me! Ah, I mean, um . . . damn it."

Konoka smirked at the swordsman's expected reaction, but then frowned. "What did I tell you about cursing?"

"It is to be done daily?"

"No."

"It's very bad for my already diminishing health?"

"Funny, but no."

"My charmingly good looks always allow me to get away with doing it?"

"Setsuna."

"To not to?"

"Very good, now stop talking."

Setsuna gave her a confused glance. "Why?"

"It's your punishment for cursing. You aren't allowed to talk to me for five minutes." Konoka replied, restraining a grin from the expression on Setsuna's face. She looked partially horrified and partially shocked. "But -"

"Shush."

"Konoka!"

"No, be quiet."

"You can't be-"

"Setsuna, shush up."

"Serious!"

"Shhhhh!"

Sighing in frustration, the swordsman gave up. "Fine."

Sticking her tongue out at Setsuna playfully, she grinned. "Sounds like your stomach is feeling better."

The swordsman paused for a moment, her eyes widening in realization. Slipping a few steps away from her, Setsuna shrugged. "Gomen, Ms. Konoka – I didn't really notice. I'll give you some space, then."

"Don't be ridicules." Konoka giggled. Wrapping her arms around the swordsman, Konoka pulled Setsuna into a hug. Burying her face in the girl's jacket, Konoka smiled happily. "I can't think straight without my Se-chan right next to me."

After a few seconds, Konoka felt Setsuna hug her back. "Yeah, me too."

**~~~ Hello People! See, I'm NOT Dead. Tell me if you enjoyed! If you have any ideas, just PM me! I'll think it over, and if I like it, then I might use it! Well, Bye! ~~~**

**~Angel981**


	9. Chapter 9

***** Setsuna *****

Kneeling to the ground quickly, Setsuna bowed her head respectively. "Eishun-sama."

Silence.

Suddenly, a deep, hearty laugh sounded, and a giggle followed not long after it. The swordsman reddened slightly, keeping her gaze upon the ground. "W- wow, Setsuna . . ." Eishun laughed, patting the girl on the head gently. "You are **way **too formal."

"It would be wrong of me not to." Setsuna replied, standing up slowly. "After all, you give me the pleasure of watching over your daughter."

Eishun raised an eyebrow questionably, glancing from a grinning Konoka to Setsuna. "So it's like that, huh? After my daughter, eh? I didn't know you swung that way, Setsuna."

"W- what?!" Setsuna shook her head quickly. "I didn't mean it that way! I could never do such a thing!"

Konoka pouted, crossing her arms over her chest like a child. "Se-chan doesn't like me anymore! I thought you loved me!"

"B- but I do love you!" Setsuna stammered. "Ha! You just admitted it!" Eishun exclaimed, smiling mischievously. "You **are **after my daughter, aren't you, Setsuna?"

Setsuna felt her face flush even redder. "I didn't say–"

"But you said that you loved me!" Konoka interrupted, having her own little, mischievous smile.

Growling in frustration, Setsuna turned her gaze back to the ground. Why did they **both** have to tease her like this?!

Laughing, Eishun shook his head. "Come on, Konoka. If we continue any further, all the blood in her body will have gone to her face."

"I suppose your right, daddy." Konoka sighed, sticking her tongue at him playfully. Shrugging, rubbed the back of his neck, smiling embarrassed. "By the way, I wasn't exactly informed you two were coming . . . so we've only got one room ready for you two. Do you mind? You'll both have to share a bed."

Blushing slightly, Setsuna pulled a folded envelope out of her back pocket. "Er . . . I forgot to mail you this . . ."

Konoka frowned. "Se-chan . . . are you telling me we're skipping school at the moment . . .?"

The swordsman shook her head. "No, I talked to your grandfather. Just – not your dad."

Rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, Setsuna lowered her gaze to the ground. "Gomen."

"That's okay." Eishun sighed. "I'll have it taken care of, okay? Now, follow me please – I'll show you to your room. Yumi's asleep right now, so you'll have to visit her tomorrow, Konoka."

***** ...Later? *****

Setsuna glanced around the small, simple room. It was a little dimly lit, creating a cozy, home-like scenery. She liked it.

Feeling a soft grip take hold of her forearm, Setsuna looked down, surprised.

Konoka stared back up at her innocently, her arms wrapped around the swordsman's forearm affectionately. The girl smiled softly, her chocolate brown eyes shining with happiness.

Feeling her heart speed up slightly, a small blush spread over Setsuna's face. The swordsman felt the corners of her mouth draw upward in her own small, gentle smile. _**'Ms. Konoka really is adorable . . .'**_

The thought made her heart squeeze slightly. _**'Maybe I could . . . No, I can't do that."**_

__Shaking her head, the swordsman jumped, feeling a small pinch on her arm. "Se-chan, your not listening." Konoka muttered. Blushing slightly, Setsuna stammered, "G- gomen Ms. Konoka . . . I was lost in my own thoughts."

Konoka's eyes shined with mischief as she stood on her tip-toes, bringing her face closer to the swordsman – who's blush darkened. "It's almost like home isn't it, Se-chan?"

"Ohhhh, now I see. So Konoka is actually after you, isn't she, Setsuna?"

Both girls immediately jumped in surprise, turning their attention to the room's doorway. Eishun stood there, a small blush spread over his face as he grinned mischievously. "By the way, Setsuna. Have you grown? I noticed Konoka had to stand on her toes to try and kiss you. Or, is she just really short.?"

A wild blush spread over Konoka's and Setsuna's face. "D- daddy!" Konoka exclaimed, keeping her gaze on the floor. "It's not my fault she grew like five inches last summer . . . And I didn't try to kiss her . . ."

"Did too." Eishun argued. "Anyway, as long as I'm not a grandfather before I'm fifty, I won't kill you, okay, Setsuna?"

Konoka smiled nervously. "Dad . . . I don't think two girls can have children . . ."

Setsuna blushed even more so. "P- plus . . . it's not like that . . ."

"Uh-huh. So, I just came back to tell you, you can make whatever you want. There's food and drinks in the fridge over there in the kitchen. So, see you in the morning – or not." Eishun waved a hand in the direction of the kitchen, before turning around and leaving them.

Turning her gaze back to Konoka, Setsuna noticed the girl frowning. She was about to ask what was wrong, but, before she could, the girl shook her head and smiled.

"So, what do you want for dinner?"

***** Konoka *****

_**About around an hour later**_

__Konoka slowly sliced a carrot with a small knife she found in one of the drawers. There were lots of different fruits and vegetables, so she decided to cut some of them up and fry them in a pan. So far, it looked like a mess.

Sighing, Konoka slid the carrots off the chopping board and into the pan. At least it add some color.

Grimacing, Konoka stirred the simmering vegetables before setting the spoon on the counter. Hopefully, this recipe will turn out to be well.

Shaking her head, she peeked from behind the kitchen wall, spotting Setsuna sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed quietly.

The swordsman was wearing a pair of purple, button-up pajamas, and her hair was damp from a recent shower. She hadn't bothered to pull it back up into it's usual side-ponytail, due to the fact she would be going to bed pretty soon.

She was wearing a pair of red glasses, and she was reading a thick book. Konoka blinked.

Since when did Setsuna read?

No, scratch that – since when did Setsuna wear glasses?

biting her bottom lip, Konoka called. "Hey, Se-chan?"

"Hmm?" The swordsman hummed quietly in response. "Since when do you – ah, no . . ." Konoka paused to think. "What are you reading?"

"No thanks, I'm fine Kono-chan . . ." Setsuna responded, not looking up from the book she was reading. Konoka frowned. "That's . . . that's not what I asked . . ."

"No, the purple dinosaur isn't going to eat you. He probably just wants a hug."

"Wh- what . . .?"

"Do we have any cookies?"

"I- I don't think we do . . . only fruits and vegetables."

"That's sad."

"But . . . I- what . . . I thought you hated sweets!"

"I do."

"But-"

"I messing with you – smile, it's good for you."

"Oh . . ."

The swordsman smiled herself, looking up from her book and at Konoka. "Now, to answer your question from earlier – it's all about dragons. Well, almost."

Konoka shook her head. "Okay, one more question. So, what's with the . . .?"

"Glasses?" Setsuna suggested, tilting her head to the side, closing the thick book. Nodding, Konoka smiled sheepishly. "Yeah . . . sorry, it's just, I've never seen you wear them before."

Setsuna's eyes shined with confusion. "You haven't?"

Konoka shook her head. "No, not once."

"Well, that's weird." Setsuna muttered. The swordsman shook her head. "Well, they're reading glasses. I don't wear them in class, but I do when reading at home."

Konoka blinked. "Well, I never knew you even read. But, dinners almost done. You hungry?"

**** Selena ****

"Evangeline did **WHAT**?!" Asuna exclaimed, nearly choking on her ramen.

Sighing, Selena quickly signed –

_Evangeline bit my finger, and she said I – _

Asuna cut her off immediately. "I don't care what she said! She . . . she _**bit **_you?!"

Selena backed up a step. Aunty Asuna's expression was scary . . . even more so than Evangeline was.

"Th- that Bitch! I'm going to kill her!" the red-head exclaimed, dropping her bowl on the floor, where it shattered. She paid no attention to it and dashed out of the kitchen. "EVANGELINE, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!"

"W- wait! Asuna, what about . . ." Negi trailed off. ". . . Selena . . ."

Negi turned his attention to her, but Selena was staring at the shattered remains of the bowl.

The reflected a broken reflection back at her, making her lower lip tremble. It looked so much like . . . _**'No, I can't remember that. Not now. Not ever.'**_

Why were so many things reminding her of that day?

Shaking her head, she turned her head away from the glass. Both Negi and Chamo were staring at her worriedly.

The ermine poke the young boys cheek. "Bro, do you think that she's okay? She looks pretty tearful . . ."

"I- I'm not sure . . ." Negi replied, and Selena forced a smile on her face and signed –

_Negi-kun, can I have some water please?_

Negi looked at Chamo, confused. "Do . . . do you know what she said?"

Chamo shook his head. "Sorry bro, no."

_Err . . . Negi-kun . . . can you understand what I'm signing?_

Negi didn't respond, for he seemed to be having some conversation with Chamo. Signing, Negi rubbed the back of his head. "But, I'm not so sure I should use a spell, Chamo . . . remember what happened when I tried magic with the others?"

The ermine blew out a puff of smoke, making Selena wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Yeah, but she's special, right? She has magical **and **demonic power as well. Maybe you can make it where she can talk or something. Come on bro, have I ever led you wrong before?"

Selena back up a step as Negi hesitated for a moment. "Well, I guess I could try . . ."

**** Setsuna ****

"I said, '**No'**, Ms. Konoka." Setsuna muttered sternly, turning away from the pleading girl. "I'll be fine, okay? You sleep on the bed."

"But Se-chaaaaan!" Konoka whined. "You'll get cold, plus you won't get any sleep if you stand up all night!"

"Who said I was standing up all night?" Setsuna muttered. Even though she said this, the swordsman knew that she would.

"Se-chan." Konoka said sternly, sounding very serious.

"I said no. There's only one bed, and two of us." She replied. _**'But that's not the problem . . . I can't sleep in the same bed as Konoka, or else I . . . I might fall for her even more than I have.'**_

"Se-chan."

"No."

"Setsuna."

" . . ."

"Come lay down, or I'll drag you over here. You're not about to stay up all night."

Setsuna shook her head, not really taking the girl seriously. "Konoka . . . please, just leave me be. I'm sorry, but –"

She stopped in mid-sentence, blinking in surprise as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist suddenly. "Se-chan . . ." Konoka trailed off. "I know you. You're probably going to walk around all night and fall asleep on a bench somewhere, and I know I more than likely won't be able to stop you. But, before you leave, will you answer me this?"

The swordsman lowered her head. " . . . yeah."

Konoka did know her well.

"That night . . . on Christmas . . . why did you run away? Why were you crying?" Konoka asked, releasing Setsuna from her grip.

Setsuna froze, unsure how to answer Konoka. Why did she cry? Why did she running away?

She knew the answer, but she didn't want to.

"Because." Setsuna stated plainly. "I'm a coward, and I was afraid of how you might of reacted. I was afraid of being rejected, like I have my entire life – up until the point where I met you."

Silence.

Setsuna blinked, waiting for the girl to answer . . . but she got no reply. Shaking her head, she started towards the door, only to be halted by Konoka's words. "You should never have to worry about that. I'll never reject you – no matter what."

**** The Next Day ****

"Hey guys, what's up? Been awhile, right?" A scruffy-haired child asked, her voice sounding tiresome.

Yumi looked up at Setsuna and Konoka, smiling happily. Her bi-colored eyes shined with joy, as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "About a year, I believe." Setsuna answered. "And look how tall you've grown! Almost . . . one-fourth of an inch."

The girl frowned, looking as if she were about to argue. "Yumi, are you feeling any better? We would've come to see you sooner, but we had to let the healers take care of you a bit more."

"That's okay sis! I don't mind. At least I get to see you and hazel-eyed over there." She grinned, sticking her tongue out at Setsuna.

"I told you to stop calling me that." Setsuna grumbled. "Shorty."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"You first."

"No, you!"

"You stop first!"

"You!"

They both turned to look over at Konoka. "Konoka!"

The girl nervously looked at them both. "Ah . . . how about you . . . both stop . . .?"

"But, that's no fun!" Yumi pouted. "You've gotta choose one of us!"

Setsuna sweat dropped. "How about I just say, 'sorry'?"

Yumi shook her head. "No! Big sis has to choose!"

Konoka glanced between the two of them. "Ah . . . not me . . .?" Setsuna suggested, unsure. Yumi argued happily. "No, her!"

"But why do I have to pick . . .?" Konoka asked. Yumi grinned evilly. "Because it's funner that way."

"I'm agreeing with Konoka here. Why does she have to pick?" Setsuna asked. "Because!" Yumi argued. "I want her too."

"Well, then . . . Setsuna? Be politer to Yumi, please." Konoka said, after thinking for a couple minutes.

"Yay!" Yumi shouted, fist-pumping happily. "I win!"

**** Later ****

"I can't believe we have to leave so soon . . ." Konoka trailed off. Setsuna gave the girl a worried look. "Don't worry. We can probably visit in the Easter or something . . . Okay?"

She nodded. "Alright."

Setsuna hesitated momentarily, before blushing slightly. "Do you mind if I hold your hand . . .?"

Konoka grinned, taking a hold of the swordsman's hand happily. "Not if you mind me holding yours."

"By the way." Setsuna stated.

"Yes?"

"Why do you and your sister look so alike, yet different?"

"She's adopted."

Setsuna blinked. "What?"

***** End! You may or may not see Yumi later on. And sorry, got lazy towards the end... ne~ bye guys! ~~~Angel981 *****


	10. Chapter 10

**** Next Night ****

Setsuna stared, taken aback at the sight of Selena.

The girl had . . . elf ears.

Apparently, she wasn't used to them, for she was tugging on the points of them while nervously glancing up at Setsuna. "What the Hell . . ." Setsuna started. "Did you do to Selena's ears . . .?"

The white-haired girl ducked her head, clearly embarrassed. She quickly covered them, trying to hide them from sight.

"This brat," Asuna growled, dropping Negi in front of Setsuna. "Decided to use magic on my 'niece' here."

Negi cowered, covering his head with his arms. "A- Asuna! Please don't hurt me . . . I was all Chamo's idea, I swear it!"

"And, why exactly would you follow his advice?" Asuna shouted, throwing her hands up into the air. "That pervert always leads you in the wrong direction!"

"It does look really cute, though . . ." Setsuna trailed off, tilting her head to the side. "What **were** you trying to do?"

Negi squeaked as Asuna punched him in the shoulder. "Ch- Chamo told me to try a spell and see if I can make her talk . . . and, as you can see . . . that didn't exactly happen."

"Like Hell it did!" Asuna growled. "Jeez, Negi . . . speaking of Chamo, where is he?"

**~~~Chamo~~~ (Just 'cause he's awesome like that)**

"But, Eva! You gotta help my bro out, or Asuna and or Setsuna may kill him **and **me!" Chamo pleaded.

"I said 'no'." Evangeline glared at him coldly. "You dug your way into this – dig yourself out."

**_'This is no good!' _**Chamo thought fearfully. **_'If Setsuna sees Selena as she is, she'll have my head!'_**

****Little did the ermine know, Setsuna already had . . .

"Please, Evangeline! You have to help us!" Chamo pleaded once more, only to receive another glare from the vampire. She rubbed her temple, huffing in frustration. "Go. To. Hell."

"I'm already there, leech." He muttered, scampering off to the right as she went to stomp on his tail.

"Get the hell over here **now**, you flea-bitten rat!" She demanded, blushing slightly from anger. "I am **NOT **a leech, rodent!"

"Fine, will you at least help me with this one question?" Chamo asked. "I've talked to Negi, but we've got nothing."

Sighing, Evangeline shook her head. "What is it, Chamo?"

"You know how Selena has magical energy in her?" The vampire nodded her head impatiently. "How do we tell what kind of magical blood? For example, Negi has wind magic in his blood. What does Selena have?"

****Setsuna** ~Later on same that night~~**

"Come on, Selena . . . eat your leeks." Setsuna urged. "Pretty please?"

The white-haired girl wrinkled her nose, turning her face away from the plate, shaking her head in a 'No'. "They're good for you . . ." Setsuna continued, receiving another shake of the head from the young girl. "For me?"

Another shake of the head.

"Can I get you anything else, ma'am?" The waitress stood by the table, her notepad out and ready. Setsuna glanced at her, as if to say, _'one moment' _, andthe woman shrugged, chewing on the end of the pencil. "take your time, honey."

"Come one, please Selena?" the swordsman tried once again. The silent girl responded by knocking the bowl away – causing it to fly into the waitress's apron. This was met with a loud squeak and the shattering of glass. The entire restaurant went silent for a moment, and then it returned to its talkative self.

The woman glanced from her apron to the girl, wide-eyed. Selena smiled sheepishly, her fern green eyes sparkling apologetically before signing,

_My bad – I didn't mean to knock the food on you._

The woman shook her head. "Nah, it's alright, sweetheart. I'm guessing you just don't like leeks."

She then proceeded to pick up the pieces of glass and food. "How did you know what she said?" Setsuna asked, tilting her head curiously. "Well, honey, my Pa always told me to learn another language." She replied. "I figured signin' would be easy, since we ain't gotta say nothin'. Bless my poor heart, for boy, was it not."

She stood up, brushing herself off. "Yall just wait here, while I go get us a broom. By the way, Her ears make her look super adorable!"

With that said, she turned and walked away. Turning her attention to Selena, Setsuna noticed that she was quite interested in the unlit candle – she was staring at it like it was some kind of UFO or something related. "It's just a candle." Setsuna blinked. "What's wrong Selena?"

**** Selena ****

She didn't know what it was, but she felt _**drawn **_to the candle – like it was an ice cream or whatever. She didn't know why she hadn't noticed it before, but know it was all she could focus on . . . The sensation seemed to tug on her blood, body, **_and _**mind.

Slowly, she reached out towards the candle and just barely touched the wick of it. She immediately recoiled as she was met by the sudden heat of a flame. Shaking her hand, she quickly checked over it to make sure she had no burns. _**'No . . . I'm fine.'**_She thought. **_'Wait a minute . . .did . . . did I just . . .'_**

__Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up and confirmed her thoughts. The candle was lit, and Setsuna was staring at her, her eyes widened in shock as well. "S- Selena . . .?"

***** Just a quick glance over to see what Asuna / Negi / Chamo / Konoka are doing~ *****

"Thanks for Dinner, Konoka! It smells and looks great!" Negi exclaimed happily. "Much better than Asuna's cooking!"

"Yeah, so what?" Asuna grumbled, stabbing her fork at the homemade meal. "It's not my fault I can't cook a meal worth shi–"

"Asuna." Konoka warned. "No cursing."

Nodding, the red-head went ahead and started to eat as Konoka went back into the kitchen to get Negi a plate. "Hey Bro . . ." Chamo said thoughtfully, putting out his cigar. Looking at the ermine, Negi replied. "Yes, Chamo?"

Tapping his furry head thoughtfully, Chamo asked, "Did we ever tell Setsuna about Selena?"

** ***** Later that night *******

_**'H- how did I do that . . .?' **_Selena thought, dumbfounded. She stole a glance over at Setsuna, who looked half–dazed and half–shocked. _**''Does it have something to do with me having magical energy or demonic energy in my blood . . .?'**_

__Selena shook her head. It couldn't be that . . . could it . . .? But . . . it **was** the only explanation.

Selena froze. She could have sworn she just heard the scraping of shoes on sidewalk . . .

"Come on, Selena." Setsuna ushered, looking back at her. "We gotta get back before they lock us out."

There it was again. Looking up at Setsuna, she noticed how tired the swordsman looked. Was it really that late? Or was something worrying Setsuna the point to fatigue? Glancing around, Selena could have sworn she saw a flicker of movement somewhere in the shadows. Tilting her head curiously, she searched for any sign of movement.

Must have been her imagination.

Reaching out, Selena caught hold of Setsuna's hand. The swordsman looked a little surprised, but, other than that, she didn't say anything about the action. Smiling in relief, Selena couldn't help but feel a bit safer. There was something about the swordsman that just made her feel that way.

The girl tightened her hold on the swordsman's hand, stealing a glance at her. _**'She's given so much up for everything and everyone in her life . . . yet . . . she believes it could all be for nothing. But . . . she doesn't care – as long as she can protect those she loves.' **_Selena frowned sadly. _**'Her friends are her family, and she's willing to put her life on the line for them . . . even for me.'**_

__Smiling, the girl looked up at the dark sky. _**'She's really caring, isn't she? Just like a mother . . .'**_

__Suddenly, something or someone tore her away from Setsuna and held her up in the air, by the collar of her jacket, behind the swordsman. Setsuna was quick to react, turning to see what had happened, her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Well, well, well." A male voice hummed. "It's not everyday we see a mother and her daughter wandering the streets this late at night."

Selena's eyes widened in shock, freezing at the sound of his voice. _**'Th – that voice . . .'**_

__"Put her down." Setsuna growled, taking a threatening step forward. "Harm one hair on her head, and –"

"What?" He snickered. "You'll hurt me? A scrawny thing like you? Ha! I'd like to see–"

He cut off suddenly with a sound between a groan and a squeal as Setsuna kneed him in the groin area. The swordsman then causally took Selena from the man's grip just seconds before he fell to his knees from the pain.

"I told you to let her go." Setsuna sighed. "I guess some men just don't listen, do they?"

"Couldn't you have knocked me out or something?" The man groaned. "That would have been a lot less painful, ya' know!"

Ignoring him, Setsuna hugged Selena, murmuring, "Let's go home."

The man groaned again, glancing up at Selena. His eyes widened with shock as he stammered, "K- Kay'era?"

Selena blinked. _**'Why did he call me by my mother's name . . .? Wait . . . he – he's the one who . . . who killed my family!'**_

**** Pyro ****

"Maybe threatening her like that wasn't the best way to get her to be mine . . ." He sighed, trailing off. Looking up at the night sky sadly, he sighed again. **_'I loved her more than all the stars in the night sky. I still can't believe that she's gone . . . even after almost five hundred years.' _**

****He could still hear her bubbly laughter in his mind, filled with joy and happiness. "I avenged her . . ." He mumbled. "But why do I still feel so empty inside . . .?"

Maybe it was because she was still gone. He never got why she had to die. She was a good woman! "She was mine . . ." He growled, standing up. "And you stole her from me!"

He glared up at the night sky, clutching his fists. "I demand that you give her back to me! I don't care if you're a god, a goddess, or an animal! I just want her back . . . please . . ."

Pyro flinched as a single raindrop hit his nose just before it instantly began pouring.

So much for telling the Heavens off.

Sinking to his knees, Pyro sighed. "It doesn't do very much good shouting to the sky."

He ran his fingers through his soaked, sandy blonde hair and sighed again. _**'Maybe it's time I let my past go.' **_He thought. _**'Maybe it's time to let Soren go.'**_

__"No matter what, I'll still love you forever." He murmured, removing the mask from his bag. Taking one last look at it, he shook his head. "My days of a lone knight are forever over. Maybe one day I'll find the one person I will serve forevermore, but that day will have to wait. It is time left the past behind."

With that said, he tossed the mask away – watching as it caught fire. The spell was quite simple, really. The magic react not to the rain, but only continued to burn the mask into ash. "I should keep my clothes, though." He hummed. "I'll need them in future trouble . . . Maybe I should pay Konoka a visit. But first . . . I should apologize to Setsuna."

**** Selena ****

Selena let Setsuna dress her into a pair of pajamas, listening to the swordsman hum a song that she didn't recognize. **_'That man . . .' _**Selena thought. **_'He Killed my family . . .'_**

__"School starts back up in a couple of days." Setsuna hummed, drawing Selena's attention. "You're seven, right? I'm going to ask the headmaster to put you in school along with us. Well, in elementary classes, of course."

The swordsman smiled, her hazel eyes shining with joy. "I'll finally be able to walk alongside Ms. Konoka again. She's always has the most interesting things to say, sometimes."

Selena laughed and signed,

_You must really like Konoka, don't you? You speak of her quite fondly._

Setsuna blushed slightly, nodding. "Well, of course. I could tell you all kinds of things about her."

The swordsman picked Selena up and set her on the bed gently. "Like she's a wonderful cook. She once cooked me an entire basket full of cookies, cakes, pies, caramel, and chocolates for valentines day." The swordsman sweat-dropped as she sat in front of Selena. "But she forgot that I don't exactly like sweets . . . but, I still tried them all for her sake – and they were all delicious."

Setsuna laughed, shaking her head. "She's also really smart, but I will admit she can be quite a ditz at times. There was this one time I took half an hour to finish my Algebra homework. It took her five minutes. But then she had it mistaken for her scratch paper and threw it away . . . Then she realized she had already thrown away her scratch paper."

"Plus, she's the most beautiful girl I've seen in my life." The swordsman sighed. "I've known her almost my entire life now . . . and she's always gotten me to blush, laugh, or smile. Sometimes all three. Just being around her makes my heart skip a beat . . . I really do love her."

Selena sighed, forgetting all about her own worries. _**'Setsuna really does love her, doesn't she? She could probably think up a whole lot more good things about Konoka.'**_

__Setsuna shook her head. "Sorry. Well, bed-time." The ruffled Selena's hair and kissed her on the forehead gently. "Have a good night's sleep. I'll be back soon – promise."

**** Setsuna ****

Shutting the door behind her quietly, the swordsman sighed. "I can't believe I said all of that . . . What I said was the truth . . . but I've never told anyone how I felt about her . . ."

"Well, I, for one, am not surprised." someone sighed, causing Setsuna to jump in fright.

Today was just not her day, was it?

Turning, she was greeted with the sight of . . . of _**him. **_But . . . he wasn't wearing his mask. "You!" She growled, taking a step back. "What the _**hell **_are you doing here?!"

"W- wait!" He exclaimed, reaching a hand in her direction. "I swear, I haven't come to harm you or Konoka. I've come to apologize."

He lowered his gaze to the ground, biting his lower lip. "I- I don't want to hurt her anymore. I don't want her to suffer . . . I've seen her kindness, her care for others, plus she's really great company. I've come to ask for your forgiveness – not a fight. My actions were out of pure greed . . . not thought."

The swordsman shook her head. "Why should I believe you . . . ? For all I know, you could only be trying to get my guard down."

She took another step back, searching for the doorknob without looking. "Stay away from me. Stay away from Ms. Konoka. But, most of all, stay away from Selena." She growled, feeling her hand close around the metal. A look of confusion passed over his face as he titled his head. "Selena . . .?"

_**'Shit.' **_She cursed silently, wanting to face-palm at her sudden stupidity. _**'I forgot, he doesn't know who Selena is.'**_

__"Just go away." She growled. "I want nothing to do with you. Ever. Want to know the truth? I'm. Not. Interested."

"I'm not surprised." He sighed. "Please, I'm only asking for forgiveness. Nothing else."

Shaking her head, Setsuna clumsily opened her door and nearly fell through the entrance of the room. "I can't not until I know what your saying is completely true . . . but even then I might not be able to."

Shutting the door, she cut him off from saying anything else. _'__**I just don't want him to get to the two girls I care about the most . . .' **_Setsuna sighed. _**'But . . . For some reason I fear he'll get to Selena more than Konoka . . .'**_

****End~ So, how'd you like the chapter guys? Well, if you enjoy this story here, please check out my other story: Photograph. And, please review if you like the chapter! Bye for now guys! ****

**~ Angel981**


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